


Maplestory, The Novel -  Guardians (Season 2)

by Tatsumari_K



Series: Maplestory, The Novel [2]
Category: MapleStory
Genre: Action/Adventure, Epic, F/M, Fights, Gen, Maplestory - Freeform, Multiple Books, Novel, Novelization, Parallel Universes, Romance, The Guardians, saga
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2019-10-08 10:12:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 50,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17384558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tatsumari_K/pseuds/Tatsumari_K
Summary: Five teens living an average everyday line are about to have their world turned on its head. The game Maplestory that brought them all together is about to become more than just a game. After a strange beam of Light shoots down from the sky, strange things begin happening to them and around them. But the biggest shock of their life comes when they all find out who their parents are. Join Matthew, Helen, Jack, Jenny and Olsen as they find out their favorite past time isn't just a game. (There is a scene in the beginning that depicts an assault on one of the characters, but is not explicitly detailed, hence the warning)





	1. Things of the Past

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter - MAJOR overhaul 2-22-19  
> T.K.

“Hey, Mom!  Do you know where my backpack is?” Jenny shouted, pounding on her keyboard, firing the last arrow in her digital arsenal. Quickly, she moved her nimble fingers over the keys, making her computer character jump onto a low hanging vine so she could type out a message to her friends.

 

“ _Sorry guys, I gtg… school, lol_ ” her four best friends replied in the small messaging system at the bottom of the screen.

 

_“Telip22: Yeah… that’s a good idea… see you there jenny.”_

_“Bl4ze482: oh crap... i still gotta write my paper too. cya guys there.”_

_“xXdr4gonXx: oh man I didn’t watch the clock.. bye bye”_

_“UnderBelt: wow… I’ll be at your house in five jen.”_ Jenny quickly logged out of her favorite game, Maplestory, before running into the bathroom and hurriedly smoothing down her short, strawberry blond hair. In the kitchen, her breakfast of an over easy egg on toast waited, which she grabbed after throwing her backpack over her shoulder.

 

“Bye mom, thanks for the toast!” Jenny called as she ran to the curb where her friend, Helen Olman, pulled up in her silver compact and sitting down in the passenger seat for a ride to school. Waiting for them at the front of the school were the last three that made up their small group: Matthew Drake, Jack Waterman, and Olsen Da’Lor. The five of them greeted each other, recounting their adventures in a ‘world’ the company Nexon had created, Maplestory. As they walked up to the building, Jack rummaged through his backpack furiously until his shoulders slumped.

 

“Aw man, you can’t be serious.” He whined.

 

“What? What’s the matter?” asked Jenny through a mouthful of toast.

 

“I left my English assignment back at home.”

 

“You should have paid closer attention,” Olsen said, holding up a few sheets of paper in his hand showing his own completed assignment. Jack scowled at him, reaching out to snatch Olsen’s report, only to miss when Olsen pulled them away.

 

“Well, if you were your Pirate in Maplestory you could summon your pig and run home to get it after first period,” Matthew suggested, brushing his light brown hair out of his face for the tenth time.

 

“The first period _is_ English.” Answered Helen smartly, pulling her assignment from a binder and straightening the pages. Olsen chuckled and shook his head when he saw her report; it was twice the size of his paper, and no doubt included extensive explanations.

 

“Maybe you could ask for a little bit of time to run home and get it during lunch or something,” Matthew suggested when the school bell rang. All the students left outside the building began entering the school when Jack thought he heard his mom’s voice calling him.

 

“Jack! You left this on the seat!” his mom, Carrie, came running up the sidewalk and handed him a thin stack of papers. Jack grabbed them with a thankful call as he bolted for his class, just as the teacher was beginning to roll call. After the English period, the five of them separated to their specific courses. Helen split off to her Honors English class, Jenny and Olsen split off to the field for track practice, Jack headed to his least favorite subject of chemistry and Matthew sauntered into his Calculus class. In the back of their minds, they all _wished_ they could live in a world similar to the game Maplestory because nothing exciting ever happened in this small town of Huron, Ohio.

 

When the noon hour finally came for the lunch break, The Five, as they called themselves, all sat together strategizing about the best way to level up in Maplestory. As the strategizing continued, the sun began to darken as clouds swirled into a funnel. At the center, bright white light gathered, building into a large sphere. Matthew lowered his brow, reaching into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

 

“I didn’t see anything on the weather saying that it was supposed to rain today.” He said as students rushed to see the funnel through the nearest window, recording videos with their cell phones or texting their friends and family. Olsen lowered his brow as a sense of foreboding built in the back of his mind. His heart began to pound as his focus became hypersensitive; he couldn’t explain it. Something terrible was about to happen. When he looked to Matthew, Olsen could tell that he too was getting the same feeling.

 

“EVERYONE GET DOWN!” Matthew shouted as he and Olsen, following some unknown instinct, tipped up a table to hide behind. Some of the students ducked down, but the rest of them looked back and laughed at these freaks.

 

All at once, the light shot down hard, shaking the ground. When it hit, a sound wave ripped through the windows, shattering the thick safety glass and hurling students to the ground. From behind their table, Matthew carefully peered over it into the light, followed shortly by the rest. Olsen was barely able to make out a hazy silhouette of a person with a cape and a long-handled ax, vanishing when the beam stopped moments later.

 

After the light stopped, the clouds faded away, leaving a crater in the football field. The Five looked to each other and began to whisper about the TV commercials for the new Maplestory class called Aran. It had debuted recently, followed closely by the Evan and Dual Blade classes. They all knew what the original hero Aran was said to look like and it was very similar to the silhouette they had seen standing in the light. Was the outline they had seen that hero?

 

Groaning from all around brought them back to reality as the students knocked to the ground by the shockwave struggled to their feet. Most, if not all of them, sported cuts and scrapes all over their bodies. The students grunted and hissing in pain as some tried to pull out small shards of bloody glass embedded in their flesh. Others rubbed their ears to try and get rid of the ringing. Helen and Jenny quickly began running from student to student, getting one of the first-aid kits in the room. As Helen wrapped one of the student’s wounds after pulling out a couple of shards, she noticed a pale violet glow emanating from her hand, seeping into the student’s skin.

 

“Man, you must know your first aid. It doesn’t even hurt anymore, thanks.” The student remarked, walking away to the nurse’s office. Helen stared at her hand wondering what it was she saw until she realized that there were still others that needed help. But whenever she did help someone, Helen would see the same pale violet glow sparking from her fingers.

 

 After Helen and Jenny had made sure to help where they could, the rest of the day became a tentative mess. Police and other officials inspected the hole in the football field while the school nurse and ambulance crews tended to the wounded, while the more severe cases were taken to the nearby hospital. Tina, Jenny’s mom, Carrie and Pierre, Olsen’s dad came to the school after having been contacted by the school principal, taking Jenny and Olsen home once the nurse was satisfied that nothing serious had happened to them and returned to work. As Helen drove herself home, she couldn’t help but stare at her fingertips occasionally.

 

“ _What is that purple glowing stuff? Am I the one doing it?”_ She thought, replaying the scene over and over in her head until she was greeted at the door by her mother, May, and her grandfather, Glen Olman. Meanwhile, Matthew, who was dropped off at his house by Carrie, found that no one was home. His father, John, was still at work, and his mother may have been out running errands, or perhaps even on a shopping trip with some of her friends. But the quiet house gave him time to think about his actions in the cafeteria before the windows exploded.

 

He had warned so many people of the light’s coming threat, but no one seemed to listen. Had he done the right thing in advising them? Could he have done more to prevent even more people from getting hurt? Since the answers he wanted weren’t coming, he decided to search for information about the Aran class on the internet before tackling the few assignments tasked to him.

 

Meanwhile, Olsen went straight to his backyard training grounds set up by his father to not only practice but to also consider what happened at the school. His father, Pierre, taught him everything that he knew about the Ninja arts. Despite his serious expression and his sometimes intense grey-eyed gaze, his patience as a Master in the Ninja arts allowed most people to overcome his intimidating presence. As Olsen practiced his drills, he thought about the silhouette he had seen in the light and how he _and_ Matthew both knew about the blast even before it had happened. His thoughts were interrupted when he hurled a star and noticed a burst of pink sparks leaping from his hand.

 

After the sparks had dissipated, Olsen starred at his hand, unsure if what he had seen was real. Did these have something to do with the light at school? His staring made his eyes fall on his watch and realized that he still had homework he needed to do. He walked back inside, grabbed his backpack and headed for his room to begin his homework. However, the thought of what he had seen coming from his fingers kept distracting him.

 

A few blocks away, Jenny and Jack were talking in the Waterman’s backyard; Jack was beating up a punching bag while Jenny held it in place as best as she could.

 

“So what do you think that light was at school?” Jenny asked, promptly shoved back when Jack slammed his foot into the bag.

 

“I dunno. Whatever it was though, at least we got the rest of the day off.” He panted, pulling his fists up into a guard position once more and throwing a jab.

 

“Hey, lemme try out your bow for a minute, this is getting boring,” Jack announced, pulling off his MMA fighter gloves and stepping out from the barn into the breeze. Jenny followed him, grabbing her bow and walking to the shooting range before handing her bow and an arrow to Jack.

 

“My bow has a bit of a heavy draw so just be careful when aiming it,” Jenny warned as Jack nocked the arrow.

 

“How bad could it be? Besides, with these guns, I don’t think it’ll be an issue,” Jack laughed, flexing his arm making Jenny chuckle while motioning for him to aim at the straw target. Just as he predicted, Jack was able to draw the bow, but missed entirely and instead struck an old fallen tree.

 

“Not as easy as it looks, huh?” Jenny asked, taking the bow back from Jack and hitting the bullseye. Carrie sat on the stairs of their back porch watching the two of them, calling to Jack for him to return to his punching and reminding him that he had a wrestling team audition the next day. Begrudgingly, Jack put his gloves back on and hammered at the punching bag, stopping long enough to get a drink of water.

 

Carrie was a fit, full busted woman with caramel brown hair and olive-green eyes. Her husband, Mark, was often complimented for marrying her. He had a tall, robust build with dark brown eyes and dark skin that reminded Carrie of her commander on the _Nautilus_ , Muirhat. Often Mark would get into a bind when he would reprimand some other for man whistling at Carrie or calling out some derogatory term if he was within earshot. Carrie appreciated him for it, though she would laugh to herself when he wasn’t looking, knowing that she could easily fight off anyone herself. She had made a name for herself as an amateur mixed martial arts fighter but stopped after she married Mark and learned that she was pregnant with Jack.

 

Jenny stayed in their backyard until her mother, Tina, came back from her work at the local grocery store. After a short evaluation, the two of them went back to their house next door.

 

“It appears you have achieved being able to hold your bow without strain,” Tina commented, motioning for her to come in the house. Tina had been a championship archer before Jenny was born, placing number one in the country and number two worldwide, but only because she had been purposefully holding back.

 

“It’s doesn’t feel like it; my shoulders feel like they’re on fire all the time,” Jenny complained as Tina chuckled and nodded her head.

 

“Your shoulders will become stronger. Do not forget; I did recently gift you a bow having a heavier draw,” Tina said as Jenny went into the house. As Jenny passed her, Tina couldn’t help but notice the tops of Jenny’s ears had become slightly pointed. Just before Tina followed her daughter in, she looked back into the trees that lined their backyard, her hand unconsciously going to the top of her ears from a small, annoying itch. The tinge of power hung in those woods felt like a whisper from a life she had almost forgotten.

 

Before she could say much else, she could hear Jenny getting onto her computer in her bedroom and signing into her game. Tina only laughed to herself; that girl couldn’t seem to get enough of that game, staying on it for up to 5 hours at a time. Her husband Kalib had died from a heart attack not long after Jenny was born, and since then she hadn’t wanted to marry again. She was an independent woman and felt that Kalib was the only man that ever understood her and her situation.

 

She could still remember waking up in this world as she walked over to the mantle in the living room and ran her fingers across the picture of Kalib and her on their wedding day. He didn’t stand much taller than her with gentle, trusting dark eyes and dark hair. With a heavy sigh, she pulled herself away from the picture to start cooking a simple dinner when there was a heavy knock on the door.

 

When she opened it, a golden envelope placed on the doormat greeted her. She looked around to find who had dropped it there, but she couldn’t see anyone; not even her keen, grass green eyes could pick out any hint of a shadow in the darkening evening sky. Slowly, she stepped back inside; and just as she closed the door, she was surprised by Jenny walking down the hall. Quickly, Tina pulled the envelope behind her back and tried to seem innocent.

 

“Who was that mom?”

 

“It was only the postman dropping off a priority letter,” Tina answered quickly, running her hand over her ear to pull back some of her long, sandy hair.

 

“Then why are you hiding the letter behind your back?” Jenny asked, growing more suspicious as she walked towards her mother.

 

“That’s none of your concern. Is there homework to do young lady?” Tina scolded, making Jenny laugh and roll her eyes as she went back to her room. Tina placed the letter into the cupboard to hide it and then continued making dinner.

 

“ _I hope that letter does not mean ill tidings._ ” She thought as she worked through making a Hamburger Helper dinner. When there was trouble, she and the other masters had always sent letters to each other in gold envelopes, giving them priority status. Jenny came out of her room just long enough to grab a plateful of food, which she took back into her room where she sat patting away at keys, as she wrote a report that was due the next day.

 

Once midnight finally came, Jenny shut her computer off and crawled into bed. As Tina walked by her door, she leaned on the frame, watching Jenny’s hand smolder a dull green. Tina had carried that power to this world and passed it on to Jenny when she was born. There was no getting it back. When Jenny was old enough, Tina spent years teaching Jenny skills she had learned when she was a girl. At first, Jenny resisted; but when Tina showed her the numerous trophies she acquired over the years, Jenny was motivated to train with the bow in her spare time, unless she was playing her game.

 

“ _Jenny, you’ll be a powerful Archer someday, you just don’t know it._ ” Tina thought as she walked over and kissed Jenny’s forehead. After that, she retrieved the envelope from the cupboard, sat down, and scanned over the content of the letter. It was a message from her old friend, Aran, which detailed her worst nightmare: the resurrection of the Black Mage. The letter further asked for her to meet with Aran in the woods that night.

 

Tina already felt dread: it had been nearly 18 years since she had come here, housing within her the power of the Emerald Crystal. In this world, that same power, which now resided in Jenny, made her skills as an archer unparalleled. Tina went into the garage and moved aside things that she had gathered over the years, revealing the door of a safe. Rapidly, she twisted the knob into the combination unlocking the safe and revealing an old yet strong bow, The Kandiva. Beside it was a quiver of still sharp bronze-tipped arrows. A mirror beside the safe made her turn around a few times, realizing how long she had been out of practice.

 

“ _It appears I will need to train in earnest once I return._ ” she sighed; the years in this world had filled her figure. She wondered if her Queen had ever dealt with such problems. With a shake of her head, Tina threw the quiver over her shoulder and quietly went through the back door and into the woods behind their house.

 

* * *

 

Near the middle of town, John, his wife Yasmin, and Pierre had met at a restaurant to socialize with one another. Usually, the affair included Tina Price, the Watermans, the Olmans, and all of their children. However, this night found only the three of them together. Yasmin was a slim petite woman with fair skin and long, straight black hair. On this night, she wore a high necked evening dress making her already small form become more pronounced next to John. As they were finishing their mean, Pierre set down his silverware and laced his fingers to rest his chin on them.

 

“How is your son, John?” Pierre asked. John looked over to Yasmin before taking a drink to rinse out his mouth and begin his reply. The three of them had gone to dinner at a small restaurant in town,

 

“He is a strong boy. He doesn’t appear to be too overwhelmed but is concerned that he didn’t do enough to keep others from being injured.” John answered, returning to his prime rib dinner. Pierre took a deep breath and sat back in his seat, narrowing his grey eyes.

 

“Both he and Matthew were right to act as they did, considering they both only acted on instinct and not from any training we have given them,” Pierre said, leaning forward once again and speaking in a low tone.

 

“However, I am concerned for the Olman girl, Helen. She unknowingly has used its power.” John froze mid-cut of his steak and set down his utensils, leaning closer to Pierre and speaking with the same low tone.

 

“You’re sure of this? The Amethyst Crystal reawakened?!” John hissed.

 

“When have you known me to lie Dances?” Pierre asked.

 

“Never. But I have known you to withhold truths which can be just as dangerous. Were you able to see if any of the others have reawakened their crystals?”

 

“As of yet, I’m unable to say.” John set his elbow on the table and leaned his head onto his fingers while shaking his head before speaking again.

 

“We came here eighteen years ago to hide those crystals and to keep them dormant with their idle existence.”

 

“There is something more Dance. Aran came to this side in the light at the school.” Yasmin looked to John with wide eyes, knowing what all the conversation might mean. Yasmin had come from a family that revered stories and legends as part of one’s history, but not the entirety of it. After they had begun dating, John explained to her why he was here and where he had come from in the past. Yasmin believed that some of what he had told her was true, that he had fled from his home to hide something here in the U.S. But now she began to question whether or not those legends held _so_ much more.

 

“If he has come then it means The Mage has once again risen. He might be unaware that we no longer control the crystals.” John muttered. Pierre was about to speak when both he and John looked up to each other, rushing from the table to the outside. Both of them looked around, trying to find what they had felt, but saw no one. As they turned to re-enter the restaurant, they both saw a gold envelope tucked into a light fixture in front of the building. John and Pierre both glanced at each other. As John retrieved the envelope, Pierre went back inside to pay for their meal, Leaving with Yasmin.

 

“John? Is everything alright?” She asked, pulling the strap of her purse over her shoulder while he read over the letter.

 

“No Yasmin, everything is not alright. Jin, I’ll meet you there.” John said, handing the letter off to Pierre, while he led Yasmin to the car and drove away with unusual haste.

 

“John, what’s wrong,” Yasmin asked, grabbing onto the handle next to her as John sped around corners back to their home.

 

“An old friend has come to town, and he doesn’t bring good news. We are meeting with him tonight to find out just how bad things have become back home. Back in Ossyria.”

 

* * *

 

Carrie sat on the back porch, drinking a cup of her favorite lemon tea as she listened to the birds and crickets. It was peaceful in this world. There was never any danger of some creature attacking their house, and no bandits would come in the middle of the night. But the peace left her longing for the life she had as captain of the _Nautilus_. She had carried the second half of the Ruby Crystal with her to this world, while Dances brought its counterpart. Jack had tired long ago of his training, taking a shower and quickly falling asleep, leaving his homework unfinished. Mark came walking out and sat down next to Carrie with a cup of coffee and looked to the barn where he could see the punching bag swinging in the slight breeze.

 

“You know, he’s tearing up that bag. I might need to get him a new one soon.” Carrie laughed, as she looked closer to see bands of silver duct tape wrapped numerous times around it to cover the holes in the cracking vinyl.

 

“Well… he is our son.”

 

“Your son you mean.” Mark chuckled as Carrie leaned on his shoulder.

 

“It seems like he’s gotten some new strength over the past couple of days. I’ve even had to put the bag back up on the hook a few times.” Carrie pointed out. Mark shook his head and chuckled into his cup.

 

“That I know all too well.” He answered, rubbing her back as he kissed her forehead. Carrie looked back out across the yard and took a sip of her tea, dropping her shoulders and closing her eyes as another gentle damp breeze weaved its way through the yard.

 

“You still miss the _Nautilus_?” Mark asked. Carrie sighed and nodded.

 

“I told you that once I seal this business deal, I’ll get a _boat_ ,” Mark said, adding emphasis on the fact that he had promised a boat. Carrie turned back to him and smiled.

 

“I still want to name it the _Nautilus_ you know,” Carrie responded smartly. Mark nodded, looking off into the dark woods just beyond their wooden fence. It had been 18 years since Carrie had come here. As odd as it was, Carrie appeared high above a lake where Mark had been fishing over the weekend. Carrie was a strong swimmer, but the plunge into the lake made her somehow hit her head, allowing Mark to rescue her. A year of visiting and talking turned into dates, marriage, and the welcoming of their son Jack. Mark knew her story of why she appeared in the middle of a lake, though he didn’t believe the whole thing. He was a partial owner of a major fishing company and had heard _plenty_ of stories of the sea.

 

Slowly, an envelope drifted down into Carrie’s lap. Quickly, she set her tea down and slipped her finger through the top of the letter. In fearful anticipation, she pulled out the letter. Her eyes darted back and forth as she read over the neatly written letter she had hoped would never come. Without saying anything, Carrie got up and went to a picture hanging above the mantle and revealed a safe behind it. Inside was a revolver pistol sporting a decorative red a gold maple leaf on the side, along with a small capsule of bullets. With firm motions, she loaded the gun and strapped the holster around her hips while walking upstairs to their room, grabbing a light jacket.

 

“Carrie, what’s wrong?” Mark asked when he saw her loading the large pistol.

 

“Nothing, there’s just something that I need to take care of.”

 

“Honey, you have a loaded gun, and you’re brushing it off as though it’s a picnic. So yes, it’s something.”

 

“Mark, trust me on this; it’s not going to be dangerous. This gun is a badge, of sorts.” Carrie answered, kissing Mark on the cheek.

 

“I’ll be back in an hour or so.” She said, walking to the back door when Mark’s grip on her hand stopped her.

 

“So, you’re sure that this isn’t something that you’re going to be getting into a fight over?” Mark asked once again.

 

“Yes, I’m sure. I _can_ handle myself, Mark. I used to be an MMA fighter, remember?” Carrie smiled, squeezing his hand before running out the back door with the letter in hand.

 

* * *

 

Glen was typing on his old Brother typewriter when he felt something from a past life hanging in the air. Squinting his eyes, he held his hand out as a weathered staff floated into his grip. When it touched his hand, Glen lifted from his chair and glided over the floor to find the source of the twinge that he felt. Helen’s adventure at the school this afternoon left him wondering if someone had crossed over from Ossyria. Also, he began to worry that the crystal within Helen was reawakening, allowing it to start seeping into her being before she was ready. The present issue of the power he felt somewhere in the house, however, was slightly more pressing. As he searched through the house, thoughts of his life before and after coming to this world came to mind.

 

Glen, better known to his comrades and Grendal, had traveled 100 years in this world’s past upon being sent here, slowly learning what he could so the others wouldn’t be as unprepared. Living in this world for that long meant that he needed to use his magic, which was amplified by the Amethyst Crystal. The old mage would use this power to stay young enough until meeting a girl to ‘settle down’ with and create a permanent life. It wouldn’t be until 1968 of _this_ world that he would meet his love, Helen.

 

A few years later, when he learned Helen was pregnant, he sealed the crystal’s power preventing it from weave itself into Gregory. When Gregory married in 1991 and had a child the following year, the Amethyst Crystal passed to his granddaughter, Helen, named after Glen’s wife, who passed away earlier in the same year.

 

As he thought about his love, Helen, a tear came to his eye, as the power he felt led him to the attic. Floating up into the dusty room, the top of his staff glowed with a spell ready to deal with any foe he might encounter when he saw his friend Aran sitting in the frame window.

 

“Aran; I should have known it might be you. How are you?” Glen said in a pleased tone. Aran nodded, picking up his halberd and walking over to Glen, the boards creaking with each step under his and the Halberd’s weight.

 

“You’ve changed quite a bit yourself, old friend. your beard isn’t as long as I remember, Grendal.” Aran pointed out as Glen chuckled.

 

“When you’re my age in this world, a beard that long gets in the way all the time.” Aran nodded while placing a hand in his shoulder and squeezing it slightly.

 

“It’s time, Old friend,” Aran said gravely, making Glen raise his eyebrows.

 

“You can’t be serious Aran. The Black Mage…”

 

“I’m afraid so. Also, The Mage resurrected all the beasts you and the others defeated all those years ago.”

 

“To what purpose?”

 

“No one knows, old friend. But come, the others will be heading towards a campfire in the woods.” Glen nodded, floating back down into the house to grab a coat and followed Aran into the night. It had been some time since he had seen his comrades, even though they all lived so close to each other. Despite the promise of seeing his comrades, the news Aran brought took priority, and his joy would need to wait for later.


	2. It Is Time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter wen through a MAJOR overhaul 3-2-19

 

Aran and Glen made the leisure stroll through the forest in a short time, coming to a small campfire within a clearing. The fire swelled as Glen faced his palm to it as he sat down on a large buried stone. Aran raised an eyebrow, placing more wood within the small circle of rocks.

 

“You haven’t lost any of your abilities after all this time here, Glen. I’m impressed; I would have assumed that not using your powers here would make your mana atrophy.” He said, leaning back slightly when a flare of sparks wafted towards him. Glen chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest.

 

“I’ve been practicing in private when no one was looking. Running a magic shop for a while in my younger days helped me explain away some occurrences people saw. Though it was always interesting trying to explain to some people why I was able to summon an Ice Golem to my side from nowhere.” He laughed when he caught sight of both John and Pierre walking into the light.

 

“Aran, it is good to see you,” John said, placing his hatchet, shield, and ax near the fire, Pierre set an armored glove next to the campfire. Aran nodded at him, squinting his eyes slightly before noticing John’s appearance.

 

“You look so different without your headdress Dances; I’m surprised that you didn’t bring it,” Aran noted; John shrugged as Tina was the next to speak.

 

“I am more appreciative of him without it, personally.” She grinned, nodding to Pierre and Glen.

 

“It’s good to see you again, Aran. How is Lilin doing?” Tina asked, taking an arrow from her quiver, stabbing it into the ground and propping her bow against it. Aran nodded to acknowledge her arrival when his eyes brightened in recognition.

 

“Athena, I didn’t recognize you at first. Lilin is doing fine. I suppose that you didn’t know, but we have a daughter now; Lillianne.” Tina’s face brightened into a smile as she nodded to Aran.

 

“Congratulations. I do not doubt your daughter has become as fine a warrior like her father,” She smiled, only to fade when she noticed the fallen expression on Aran’s face.

 

“She is, but I wonder if I’ve made her childhood suffer because of it.” Silence hung thick in the air until Aran turned his attention back to Tina.

 

“You look quite different then I remember. I almost didn’t recognize you when you walked into the circle.” Tina blushed slightly and sighed.

 

“Life _and_ baring a child in this world can cause one’s figure change.” She replied, her arms subconsciously pulling around her.

 

“I meant your pointed ears are gone. And your hair isn’t as long as I remember.” Aran explained, motioning with his hand as he spoke. Tina nodded, running her hand through her hair.

 

“Elves do not exist in this world, Aran. It is but an illusion spell Grendal placed on them to hide their true appearance. As for as my hair; good cleaning pastes to keep one’s hair clean is quite expensive. Hair as long as I did have was not the most cost efficient.” Aran nodded his understanding when Carrie came jogging into the circle and placed her pistol on the ground next to Tina’s bow. Aran tilted his head, looking at the places where they had set their weapons.

 

“ _Have the crystals become so weak that they don’t change the fire at all?_ ” he wondered, standing once he was sure everyone was present. When he next spoke, it was with a low but severe tone.

 

“And so, we are all here. I see each of you made lives in this world when I delivered these letters to you, so I will not take up any more of your time than I need to. I also understand that you all have created new names for this world. However, it will be quicker for me if I refer to you by your Ossyrian names. It is time that you, the Five Masters, return to Ossyria. The Black Mage has risen once again and resurrected most, if not all, the enemies that you slew. Despite the best efforts of Cygnus’s Knights, Evan and myself, we were unable to stop his return.” They all sat in silence, Tina and Pierre hanging their heads while Glen pinched the bridge of his nose.

 

“How did it happen?” asked Pierre coldly. Aran shook his head.

 

“I can only speculate. The Black Witch Eleanor came to the palace in Ereve and fought with the chief Knights, severely wounding her in the process. But she evaded capture. The Knights under Eckhart speculate that she stole the Dark Crystal and used it as a key piece in his resurrection.” Tina’s face drained of color as her shoulders tensed.

 

“You don’t think…” Pierre snapped his attention to her and cut her off.

 

“It’s the only thing that could have possibly given her enough power to break through the seal, Athena.” Everyone remained silent for a long while until Carrie broke the silence.

 

“Alright, that sounds scary and all, but who is this ‘Black Mage’ that you’re all so scared of? I mean, I’ve gathered that he was a pretty big deal back in the day while we were in Ossyria, but _come_ on!  He’s just a man with flashy tricks up his sleeve.” She asked loudly. Despite having spent most of her life at sea, even _she_ had heard of this despicable man, but no more than rumors. Glen looked over at her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

 

“No Kyrin, I mean Carrie, my apologies. The Black Mage is a _genuine_ danger to Ossyria existing well before you came into port, or even before you were born. Aran and Tina would be the most versed on who he is.” Glen solemnly said.

 

“Tina?” She asked, raising her eyebrow and looking at her speculatively.

 

“Yes, Athena and I have known each other far longer than you may think. She was only a child when I saw her the last time.” Aran answered, glancing over to Tina until Carrie spoke up once more.

 

“Then fill me in; I only know the stories and rumors.” She demanded. Aran adjusted his footing, taking his Halberd from around his shoulders and setting it on the ground before clearing his throat and beginning.

 

“The Black Mage used to be a Sage named Corus, just like our goddess, Minerva. But when a severely wounded man thrown through a portal came under his care, Corus changed. Whether out of thanks or out of some semblance of self-preservation, the man taught Corus Black Magic. It twisted Corus into a being whose sole purpose was to destroy everything. He preached that after everything of the corrupted world had been wiped away; he would rebuild it and together with Minerva, they would rule it with an iron fist. Minerva reminded him of the Pillars of Time, powerful magic stones, Rhinne had explicitly forged to prevent the world from being destroyed. But The Mage countered that all magic, no matter how powerful, can be broken with enough force.

 

Eventually, the arguments became wars, and Corus became The Black Mage. These wars became so intense that it led to Minerva separating what is now Victoria Island away from the mainland of Ossyria, out of The Mage’s reach save everyone she could. The mission of protecting the people on the island was given to us Heroes by Minerva, leading to her end. That monster slaughtered her with a surprise attack. After the other Heroes and I learned of his sin of killing Minerva, we learned of his plan to steal the power of time from Rhinne, goddess of time. Any man with the ability to kill Minerva is dangerous enough; but if The Mage possessed enough power to rend a goddess’s power away, there was no telling what he would do with Rhinne’s power added to his own.  

 

After learning of The Mage’s plan, we Heroes went to the Temple of Time and faced him directly, eventually able to seal him away within the center of Victoria Island. Despite our victory, a trap set by The Mage sealed us away in Ice. During the fall from the temple, I stayed conscious long enough to see that I had fallen the great Aquian Sea, and was sealed for the next 1000 years. ” Carrie’s shoulders slumped, blankly staring into the fire.

 

“Wow, I never heard _that_ story before.” She whispered, supporting her elbow with her knee and laying her head over into her hand.

 

“I remember crewman Bain saying something about The Mage and his disciples not long after the _Nautilus_ made port. I thought it was just from us being at sea too long, but I never thought there was more to the story.” Glen nodded, hanging his head.

 

“Yes, they have always been there, lurking in the shadows of history.” He said when Pierre spoke up.

 

“What happened to the warriors that helped us in coming to this world?” he asked flatly, all of them turning to him.

 

“Whom are you speaking of Pierre? We came on our own.” Tina answered, making Pierre shake his head and wave his hand.

 

“No, I mean the young woman with the strange pistol and the Nova warriors. Have you forgotten all they assisted us with?” Pierre asked with a huff as they all thought for a moment until Kyrin perked up, snapping her fingers.

 

“Oh! I know who you’re talking about! The gunslinger! Her name was something mechanical sounding; Jett! Yeah, I remember her. And the other two. They were named, uh…”

 

“Tear and Kyle. What happened to them Aran? They seemed quite concerned when we left.” Interrupted Pierre, locking eyes with Aran who sighed heavily and shook his head.

 

“Kyle, Tear, and Jett all returned to their world. I don’t know what happened to them after that.” Pierre nodded his understanding. In legends, The Nova were fierce warriors, defending not only Ossyria but also their own country from an enemy never saw while Kyle, Tear, and Jett were with them.

 

“What about the _Nautilus_?” Carrie asked, standing once again with concern thick in her voice. Aran thought for a moment before answering.

 

“We used it to help get as many as possible to Herb Town via Aqua Road,” Aran answered when John set a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Were all of them able to be saved?”  he asked. Aran nodded.

 

“Most of them were saved and are in the farthest point in Herb Town. We managed to use the Pirate’s Den to hide the _Nautilus_ thanks to the cooperation of the Pirate Lords.”

 

“What about the crew?” Carrie asked, each question making her face show more and more concern. Aran sighed heavily and shook his head.

 

“Muirhat has yet to be found or return. While we were taking some of the last people from Victoria away, an army of Skelegons was closing in through Henesys. Just as we were readying to leave port, the Nautilus stalled.  The three Whalians that were maintaining the Core in the engine room became weak from hunger. As a result, one of them passed out. Sharyl took his place, but it was taking too long to restart the drive crystal. Muirhat volunteered to give us some time by stalling the advancing hoard. Your sister tried to stop him, but he went anyway. That was last any of us saw of him. I went back after the initial attack, and this was the only thing that I found.” He reached behind him and pulled out a dirty white cloth Muirhat used to cover his eyes. Carrie dropped her shoulders and whispered.

 

“Muirhat…” she whispered, taking the bandage and sitting down. Aran straightened, reaching back for his halberd, Maha, and held it over the fire, which flared slightly as Maha himself appeared, looking earnestly at all of them.

 

“Masters, it is time that you return to Ossyria. The time for the Mage to fall has come.” Aran said sternly. When none of them moved, Aran pulled Maha away and stood it up next to him.

 

“What’s the matter, Masters? The Black Mage has risen, and your home is under attack! You and the crystals are needed back in Ossyria, more than ever!” he bellowed when Glen stood and hobbled to him.

 

“Aran, believe me, we _all_ want to return. But we no longer control the crystals. That power has since moved on to our descendants.” With disbelief in his eyes, Aran stared at all five of them, and then to their weapons. It was only then that he understood why the fire hadn’t changed when they set their arms down next to it.

 

“Then they crystals have diminished far more than I thought they would have. Why didn’t you tell me this from the beginning?” Aran demanded. Pierre stepped forward with a lowered brow and wide, earnest eyes.

 

“We’ve told you now. With the crystals within the children, it only means that we will need to train them. It would be no worse than if we were to return to Ossyria.”

 

“Yes, but at least you still have your strength and the fighting knowledge from before you came here,” Aran huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes.

 

“If that is the case, then we need to leave in three days. Be sure to have everything you need by then.” Aran announced, picking up a bucket of dirt and tossing it on the ashes, smothering them as the Masters all silently left. When Dances returned to his home, Yasmin was absently reading the book she had bought at the dime store not long ago. When she heard John come in, she quickly put the book down and shuffled to the kitchen, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed against her favorite snowman pajamas.

 

“So, what’s the damage?” she asked. John looked back up into her eyes, blinking slowly.

 

“We have three days until we leave.”

 

* * *

 

 Slowly, Ergoth stepped through the dark halls, to the throne room where his new master sat. As he walked through the door, he could see The Mage rolling The Dark Crystal over his fingers as though it were a coin. Beside The Mage, a crystal ball displayed six people silently speaking around a small fire.

 

“Master, why not go to world? Take crystals easily. Playing is waste time.” Ergoth asked in a deep, gravelly voice. The Mage turned his scorching gaze to him, making Ergoth tense and shift his stance, ready to defend himself. Sharp clicks of heels on stone echoed through the hall as a woman walked up to The Mage from the shadows.

 

“The Master has different plans Ergoth. Besides, simply taking them wouldn’t serve his purpose.” Said the sultry voice of Eleanor, leaning enticingly against The Mage’s chair. Whispers of hundreds of murmurs began to rise around them all, turning his attention to the Dark crystal in his palm. Ergoth tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.

 

“Power is less? How that be? I think crystals power is never less.” Ergoth exclaimed. The Mage turned his gaze back to Eleanor, as thick, hiss-like sounds echoed until a high-pitched voice interrupted The Mage’s whispers.

 

“Then if all it takes to get their power back is use, why did you bring us back to life?!” The voice belonged to Pink Bean, a creature resembling a sizeable pink pillow with tiny purple horns. Ergoth looked back to the waddling creature before continuing the thought presented by Bean.

 

“Only make trouble for Masters. What is meaning?” Ergoth asked. The Mage stood and held out his hand to Pink Bead, narrowing his eyes as whispers rose in their ears. One of Horntail’s three heads weaved its way into the room and thrummed in the back of his throat, speaking with a breathy growl.

 

“If all you are doing is bringing us back, only to send us back to our graves to ‘train’ the crystals, why bring us back at all? Your disciples would be plenty a challenge,” Huffed the hydra, small flames flaring between his teeth. The Mage blurred as Horntail found himself driven into the ground, while Pink Bean went flying in a random direction. Ergoth scrambled at his neck from the Mage’s iron grip, after pinning him to the wall next to the door. Growling hisses buzzed in their ears while the light in The Mage’s eyes became brighter, tightening his grip around Ergoth’s throat. Horntail growled in discontent, re-adjusting his jaw and spitting out a glob of blood. Eleanor picked her weight off the chair, walking to the middle of the room.

 

“He is right you know. It would be much easier to send you back to your graves right now than to explain himself to such simple-minded fools as you.” She said. Ergoth clenched his jaw, gasping for breath as Pink Bean spoke, trying to sound Intimidating despite his squeaky voice.

 

“If all you did was to bring us back to kill us, using us as tools for your success, then I want no part in it. We did not agree to this!” Bean shouted. The Mage smiled as he let go of Ergoth and faced the giant talking marshmallow. Eleanor walked over to the Mage, placing both hands on his shoulder, leaning against his arm.

 

“You’re correct, Pink Bean. That isn’t the agreement. The Mage only gave you the chance to gain revenge on those who had killed you before.” Eleanor answered while The Mage gazed intently into Bean’s eyes. Ergoth struggled to stand and glared at the Black Mage. But he averted his eyes when The Mage looked over his shoulder to him, overpowering Ergoth’s glare, making all except Eleanor leave.

 

“You know master; there is no reason to be so harsh on them.” Eleanor smiled. The Mage sat down again and waved his hand over the crystal ball. The image of the masters departing their meeting appeared, while agitated whispers hung in the air around them.

 

“They may not be worthy of being called your followers, but where else would you find such fine fodder for your plans? Pink Bean and Horn Tail especially will provide enough challenge to advance the crystal’s power quite far,” Eleanor said, sitting down on the arm of his throne. The Mage turned his gaze to her for a moment before turning back to his ball, more whispers rising.

 

“Yes, there are others. However, I wouldn’t want you to waste your time, energy and power searching when you’ve already spent a considerable amount bringing them back.” Eleanor stood once again and leaned forward to fill The Mage’s gaze with her ample bust and lovely face.

 

“Besides, the power that you will gain by training those children to use it will be nothing short of _magnificent_ ,” Eleanor emphasized while The Mage’s eyes appeared to smile, nodding slowly and grunting his approval. Eleanor stood once more before crossing a hand over her chest making a small bow.

 

“No, thank _you_ , my master.”

 

* * *

 

The next day, The Five woke up early, signing into Maplestory and playing through various quests given by NPC’s within the game. Bosses and monsters fell by the dozens. While playing, they also scoured the internet, trying to find anything regarding the Aran class until it was time to sign out and get ready for school.

 

Everything seemed normal, boring even, despite the enormous hole still in the middle of the football field. It and the scabs, bandages, and stitches on the students were the only things remaining to give any indication that something had happened the previous day. School went by with the same boring lessons. P.E. came and went, along with other classes in a blended blur. The only highlight of the day was the arrival of the local news van coming to report on the giant crater. It was all so disappointing.

 

Once school was over, The Five to a diner, laughing and talking about anything that came to mind until Jenny redirected the conversation.

 

“Hey, did you guys happen to notice anything weird when that light came down?” she asked, trying to speak over her mouthful of burger. Olsen thought for a while, then pointed his finger into the air when he remembered something.

 

“I did notice some rather strange pink sparks while I was home training yesterday,” he said, grabbing his soda and taking a big drink. Helen held up her hand and rubbed her fingers and thumb together.

 

“Everyone that I helped with the first-aid kit told me that whatever I did took away all their pain. And I noticed this weird purple glow on my fingers.”

 

“You glow in the dark?” Jack asked with a laugh, making the others giggle as well. Helen shook her head.

 

“No, it wasn’t in the dark. It almost looked like purple glitter glue,” Helen replied, pulling out her smartphone to look up theories of people gaining powers. Matthew crumpled up his burger wrapper and slumped back in the booth.

 

“You know, now that you mention it, ever since that light came down I’ve been noticing small bursts of red light coming from my hands every time I practice in the backyard,” he said, reaching for his milkshake. Olsen and Jenny both looked to each other.

 

“Do you think it has anything to do with the Light we saw at the school?” Olsen asked, casually reaching for a french fry. Helen shrugged as she scrolled through her phone.

 

“It could. A light coming out of nowhere is strange enough. It would be pretty cool if it were though.” Helen answered, clicking off the phone and sliding it back into her purse.

 

“I just hope it doesn’t mean that we’re all going to be some hideous mutation or something,” Jenny said, taking another bite of her burger. The Five of them sat in silence for a while, contemplating these colored glows until Matthew broke the silence.

 

“Have you ever gone down to the docks at sunset?” asked Matthew to no one in particular. Jenny swallowed her fries quickly, reaching for a soda to wash them down and speak.

 

“No, not really. Don’t you get in trouble though since it’s you know, _THE DOCKS_?” replied Jenny. Matthew laughed and flipped his hand.

 

“Nah. There’s a deserted section after about 5:30. You wanna go? I go there a lot to think.” Everyone looked at each other back and forth. None of them had any important assignments due the next day, and so they decided to go. As they walked, they hung onto each other’s shoulders and sang loudly words that they had made up to a song from a MapleStory town called Ludibrium.

 

“ _Take all your cares and fears in this big world,_

_Make a big basket and throw it out._

_And you all have a great time!_

_Don’t think about it at all_

_Take all your cares and trash them_

_Don’t look back at all!_ ”

 

They stumbled through words a few times, forgetting what it was they had made up while walking where Matthew led them. Once there, Matthew directed the other four to the waters drenched in colors of red, yellow, orange and pink. Olsen jumped up to the cross brace of a nearby crane, flipping and jumping up the crane.

 

His movement caught Jenny’s eye as she watched as he climbed the crane’s struts. She knew that she had nowhere near the same acrobatic abilities to, but climbing would mean she would be alone with him. It would give her the opportunity to tell him about the feelings she has harbored for him ever since she reached her early teens. After looking around for a bit, she found the ladder leading up to the control cab and began climbing the crane.

 

On the ground, Jack stood silently near the edge of the dock, letting the gentle breeze from the water wash over him. It was strangely familiar to him, even though the only time he had ever really been close to the water was during a trip to a section of the beach next to Lake Erie. Even on that trip, it felt like the water was where he was supposed to be.

 

“It’s a beautiful sunset,” Helen said as she sat down and dangled her feet over the edge of the dock. Matthew walked up beside her and crouched down.

 

“I come here to think sometimes. I think I even wrote a report here once.” Jack nodded, agreeing with Matt.

 

“Well, it's better now that I’m here,” Jack answered, flexing dramatically which made the three of them laugh. Meanwhile, Jenny reached the top of the crane, walking carefully over to Olsen who sat with one leg dangling over the edge of the boom while looking out over the water.

 

“What are you doing up here?” Jenny asked as she came and sat down next to Olsen. She hugged her knees to her chest while being careful to keep away from the edge, slightly chilled by the breeze that blew.

 

“Just thinking.” She looked away so he wouldn’t see her blush as she heard his ever so slight French accent. She was quickly brought back to reality when Olsen began speaking again.

 

“Jen, I don’t know why, but for a while now I’ve had this feeling…” Jenny turned quickly to him. Was he going to confess first? Was the guy that she had a massive crush on about to tell her that he liked her? Was she prepared for this? Jenny’s tongue felt numb, and her hands felt clammy. Her heart began to pound so hard that she could hear it in her ears, and hoped that Olsen couldn’t hear it.

 

 

“…It’s been nagging at me ever since I can remember. I’ve always had the feeling that I wasn’t going to stay here, that I wasn’t _meant_ to stay here.” Jenny hung her head. As Olsen’s words plowed through her, she felt her heart deflate. Jenny had built so much tension within herself that it almost hurt to hear him say he had a feeling that he was about to go away. Regaining her composure, she turned her head to him, still laying on her knees.

 

“How do you mean?” she asked, trying to hide her clenched hands and pursed lips.

 

“It’s as if there is a feeling that something bad is going to happen. When or how it’s going to happen remains unknown, but deep down you know that it will happen.”

 

“Yeah, I know that feeling,” Jenny nodded, awkwardly twirling her shoelace.

 

“That’s how it feels to me. It’s as if all of us, not just me, are going to go very far away from here very soon. I don’t know. I just have that feeling is all.” Olsen turned his gaze towards Jenny, who wasn’t prepared to meet his gaze, and her entire face turned red.

 

“Does that make sense?” he asked. Jenny turned her face back into her knees quickly and nodded.

 

 _“Damn it! Damn it! Damn It! I just can’t say it! What do I do? What do I do?”_ she thought, clenching her jaw and fists. Olsen chuckled and stood.

 

“Anyway, that’s what’s going through my head.” He said as he walked back towards the ladder leading down to the docks. As he climbed down, Olsen saw a group of four men dressed in baggy pants and thin tank tops walking towards Matthew, Helen, and Jack. The three of them took no notice of the men until one of the men with a large ‘71’ tattooed on his cheek called out to them.

 

“I guess no one told you this is our dock. You in our zone, so get your sorry asses outta here before something happens.”

 

“And what happens when we don’t move?” asked Helen, getting up and standing slightly behind Matthew. Jack rocked his head to the side as he got back up, while Olsen and Jenny stood behind the men.

 

“Oh, girl’s got game.” Said a second man, stroking his bushy black beard while walking up to Helen and reaching out for her arm. Matthew grabbed onto the man’s forearm a lot harder than he ever remembered being able to and pushed the man away. Helen backed away from the man’s reach until she and Matthew noticed a red glow on the man’s arm in the shape of Matthew’s hand print. However, as the light faded, there didn’t seem to be any visible wounds from it.

 

“Oh, so you want to fight, do ya? Then come at me, lemme see whatchu got.” The man challenged. Matthew chuckled in response and shook his head and began walking away with Jack and Helen. Olsen and Jenny walked around them, taking long strides to catch up to the rest of them.

 

“You’re not worth it,” Matthew said flatly. The bearded man chuckled under his breath, calling out to them as the five left.

 

“I see how it is, you just gonna chicken out like all the otha punks around here. You ain’t nothing but a…”

 

“Just shut it already,” Jack called back over his shoulder and continued walking until there was a loud double click behind them.

 

“You wanna say that again you little shit?” the tattooed man demanded. A third man with a bright green bandana pulled his shirt up to reveal a pistol secured in his belt. Olsen felt his arms become numb and his legs become heavy as he turned and caught sight of the gun.

 

“He doesn’t have to prove anything to you,” Jenny called, turning around to see the bearded man holding a gun at arm’s length approaching them. The sight of the barrel and the sound of the hammer being cocked back made all five freeze in place.

 

“Well, that’s too bad. Since yo boys here don’t seem like they want to man up, I’ll just take what I want.” Again, the bearded man walked towards Helen. Olsen’s mind screamed at him to do something, but the sight of the gun kept him grounded. Matthew and Jack twitched to do something but froze again when the bearded man and the fourth man reached for their weapons. With slow movements, the bearded man draped his arm over Helen’s shoulder, pointing to the various people within his group with his gun.

 

“My name’s Geo. That’s Hector with the beard, Ian in the bandana, and Ricky in the back there,” he said with suggestive tone, looking over to Jenny who shifted her feet, ready to run.  

 

“You both are _way_ too pretty to be hangin with these piles of crap. Why don’t you come with us and we can…” Olsen’s leg streaked past Helen’s head and slammed it into Geo’s forehead, his shin flaming with pale pink light, flinging Geo away from Helen. The rest of the remaining men grabbed their pistols and aimed Olsen.

 

“You wanna try that again?!” Ian demanded angrily.

 

“Seems like they ain’t so useless after all,” Geo said, getting up while holding his head as he steadied his steps. Olsen set his leg down slowly, his entire body burning with a desire to move, to beat these guys, to do something. But with a gun now trained on him, his options were limited to being faster or distracting them. His movements were more rapid than the average person, but he would need to be _A LOT_ quicker to disarm these punks. Once Geo had steadied himself, he quickly walked over to them, shoving Olsen aside and forcefully pulling Helen forward.

 

“Don’t touch me.” She demanded as she pulled away. The man reached out and grabbed her arm again, holding up his pistol to her cheek.

 

“Maybe you’d like to meet the back side of my piece upside your head? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Come on, we gonna have some fun tonight.” Geo laughed pulling Helen away. Matthew and Olsen flinched, but the end of Ian’s and Ricky’s guns stopped them. Hector walked around them and grabbed Jenny, dragging her away as well. As Helen struggled, her arms and hands glowed a dim purple color making Matthew and Jack look at each other in confusion.

 

Geo suddenly let go, shouting that he had been burnt, allowing Helen to begin running away. She made it only a few feet before she was grabbed and shoved to the ground by Geo.  Roughly, he rolled her over and pulled her shirt off while reaching for the button of her pants. A green glow flashed around Jenny, allowing her to get away from Hector and clamber up onto a dumpster, holding the lid shut as he tried to get in. Helen screamed for help just as Geo reached for her bra until Jack kicked the guns away from Ian and Ricky in one blur of movement. He then swiped both of them across the face with a hard punch into the water, crossing his arms when the guns fell into his hands with the butt of the grips touching.

 

Matthew was about to tell him how stupid he was when a transparent, red flame engulfed Jack and spread to the guns. The light concentrated around the ends of the barrels as the sound of cannons roared. The shot screamed past Geo, putting two large holes in a dumpster, making him stop and look back to see Jack leaping in, fists glowing red.

 

The impact hit with the sound of distant thunder, throwing Geo off of Helen. Olsen and Matthew stared for a minute until they realized they were no longer in danger. They both ran for Helen, Matthew grabbing her crumpled shirt and Olsen helping Helen to her feet and leading her away from the area. Jack moved like a flash, slamming his fist into Hector as he clawed at the dumpster containing Jenny, knocking him unconscious.

 

Geo struggled to his feet, reaching for his pistol and aiming at Matthew, Olsen, and Helen as they ran. He was quickly met with four fast punches and sent flying into the water as Jack somersaulted backwards. Matthew turned around when he heard the splash, staring in awe and confusion at Jack. Olsen led Helen to a space between buildings near the dock, turning around to see what had happened. Helen backed against the wall, shivering while holding her arms around herself, still feeling Geo’s cold hands slithering across her body.

 

When Jenny no longer heard the sounds of Hector banging on the dumpster, she carefully pushed up the lid to see Jack standing in the middle of the dock, a red glow surrounding him as though it were a slow-moving flame. After climbing out of the dumpster, she kicked Hector in the gut where he lay twice, then turned her attention to Jack.

 

“Jack, are you ok?” Matthew asked as he approached Jack. As Matthew neared, the red glow stopped, and Jack collapsed to the ground unconscious. Both Matthew and Jenny rushed to his side to try and catch him before he hit the ground but were too far away.

 

“We need to get Jack back home,” Matthew commanded, reaching to pick Jack up when he realized he was still holding Helen’s shirt.

 

“Don’t you think we should take him to a doctor?” Jenny asked as she was handed the shirt and Matthew picked him up over his shoulder.

 

“And tell them what? ‘My friend collapsed after beating up four guys while he was glowing’?” Matthew asked.

 

“It’s better than taking him home! What if he has internal bleeding or something?” Jenny asked, walking with Matthew as he made his way off the dock.

 

“In either case, we need to get him away from here. Maybe Jack’s mom will know what to do.” Matthew answered, passing by Olsen and Helen, coxing them to follow. Jenny gave Helen her shirt, staying with her as the five made their way to Jack’s house.

 

* * *

 

“Now, tell me again what happened?” asked Carrie, placing a second cool towel on Jack’s head as he lay unconscious in the living room of his house. Olsen put a hand over his mouth, running down his chin before beginning.

 

“We were down at the docks just watching the sunset from a spot that Matthew told us about, when a group of four men announced the dock was theirs, telling us to leave. I asked them what would happen if we didn’t, and they all pulled guns, two of them reaching for Helen, and Jenny. The next thing I saw, a red comet thing hit a dumpster, and then Jack was rushing the guys. His whole body was glowing red. He punched two into the water, kicked a third into the water, and knocked out the fourth. After that, he just passed out.” Olsen explained for the fourth time, looking over to Helen who sat at the end of the kitchen table staring down at the ground, rubbing her arms vigorously.

 

She shivered as the disturbing look in Geo’s eyes kept flashing through her mind and the ghost of his hands on her body lingered. Jenny walked to her and tapped her shoulder making Helen jump and whimper but calmed when she saw Jenny sit down next to her, speaking quietly enough that only Helen could hear.

 

“You okay?” Jenny asked, reaching out for Helen’s hand.

 

“No, I’m not alright. I want to go home, but I want to make sure that Jack’s alright first,” she muttered. Carrie squinted her eyes; something had happened to the poor girl, but none of them had explained anything beyond Jack passing out after punching four people. Turning her attention back to Jack, Carrie shifted the towel on his head as Pierre and Glen came through the front door.

 

“Jack’ll be fine guys. It sounds like he just went a bit overboard.” Carrie assured them.

 

“But what about that red glow we saw?” asked Olsen.

 

“You might have been worried about Helen. Lots of weird things can look like they happen when someone you know is in trouble.” She said with a sad smile, her thoughts turning to Muirhat. Helen looked over to Jack and walked over to the couch, sitting down on the floor. Carrie reached for her hand and shook her head when she noticed Helen reaching for Jack, her hand glowing a dim violet.

 

“But…”

 

“Helen, he’ll be fine. It’s late. You should be getting home. Pierre, would you make sure they get home safely?” She asked. He nodded firmly and led them out the door, Jenny offering to go over to Helen’s to make sure she would be alright. Glen then turned back to Carrie, reaching into his jacket for something.

 

“Are you still going to keep them in the dark?” Glen asked sternly.

 

“It’s for the best, Glen. If they knew about who they are, they would get themselves into far more trouble. Were you able to find it?” she asked when she heard the garage door open, signaling that Mark had just come home. The sound of the door hadn’t reached Glen as he shook his head and pulled out the elegant crystal bottle from within his jacket.

 

“It took me a bit of time, but I managed to find it.” He replied, pulling an elegant bottle from within his jacket, when Mark walked in from the garage.

 

“Hey babe, did Jack and the others have a study session or…what happened to Jack? And what’s in that bottle?!” he asked when he saw his son passed out on the couch. Glen and Carrie looked at each other: it was time to try and convince Mark that what was about to happen was very real.

 

“Mark, honey. Do you remember that story I told you when I woke up in the hospital? That wasn’t a story; it’s real. Jack’s powers as a pirate have been steadily getting stronger. Why do you think that we’ve had to buy him a new punching bag every couple of months? Today he just tapped into far more power than he was ready for.” Glen shook the bottle in his hands as the thick, blue liquid inside emanated a soft light.

 

“Right, and my sister is a mermaid. Carrie, those things were something you dreamed from hitting your head.” Carrie objected and motioned to Glen. The old man walked to Jack,  pulling the top from the bottle with a long glass rod attached, and dragged it across Jack’s mouth. The boy’s entire body glowed blue as Jack instinctively swallowed, then rolled over on his side, fast asleep.

 

“It’s not,” Carrie answered. Mark blinked his eyes a few times trying to mentally explain what he had seen: maybe he had too much coffee, or the lighting was weird for a second. Jack didn’t just glow blue for a moment, did he? Carrie went to the safe above the mantle, took out the revolver, and held it straight out. The motion caught Mark’s attention, watching in dumbfounded disbelief as the same blue glow engulfed her arm, spreading to the gun as she pulled the trigger.

 

An ear-splitting roar shook the house as a blue bolt shot into the night, making the nearby windows explode. After dropping his hands away from his ears, Mark slumped onto a second couch within the living room, trying to wrap his head around everything that he had just seen.

 

“ _Everything that Carrie told me is real? This magical land called Ossyria and the Nautilus is real_?” he thought, looking over to Jack, and then to the bottle in Glen’s hand.

 

“What did you just give Jack?” he asked, trying to keep himself from shouting. Carrie sat across from Mark on the coffee table, putting the pistol next to her.

 

“Jack used up all his Mana, something that every human has within them. It’s a byproduct of his Life Force that we can harness for special abilities. A person only has a little bit after they are born, but with training, you can have more. Jack had drained ALL of his Mana and passed out because his available mana supply is still small.” Carrie explained, as Glen sat down next to Mark and put a hand across his back.

 

“The potion I gave Jack is a Mana restorative. Rest is the only safe way to restore the remainder. If one were to rely on potions, it could kill you,” he said. Mark let his head fall into his hands. It was all too much. His wife was some kind of freak, and his son was another freak, and he was a freak for marrying a freak. All of what he had seen only existed in fairy tales and legends, not real life!

 

“Everything will make sense soon,” Glen explained.

 

“We’re leaving for Ossyria in two days, and all of you will be coming.” Mark couldn’t get his head wrapped around what was happening. The whole life that he built was just about to end. His entire career and living were all going to disappear. Carrie moved to the couch next to him, grabbing his hands and turning his head to face him.

 

“Please, just for a bit, humor me and say that you believe me. Trust me; I’ll tell you everything when we’re there.” Mark nodded absentmindedly, unsure if he would ever be able to accept what he had just seen.

 

* * *

 

 “Is Jack going to recover? Spontaneously collapsing like that can’t be good for him,” Olsen pressed.

 

“Yes, he’ll be perfectly fine after some rest,” Pierre answered with stoic disinterest.

 

“What about the red glow around him and his fists?” Jenny asked. Sure, she may not have a crush on him like she did Olsen, but Jack was still one of her close friends. Helen could only vaguely hear what was being said. It was as though everyone was talking a long way off while Jenny guided her.

 

“All will be made clear shortly. For now, go home and rest.” Pierre instructed. Reluctantly, Olsen conceded and was about to begin jogging home when he remembered that Jenny and Helen would be alone, turning to follow then when Pierre grabbed his shoulder.

 

“Olsen, I have some business that I need to attend. I will be late tonight,” he said sternly. Olsen nodded and jogged after the girls. Once Olsen was out of earshot, Pierre turned to an empty lot.

 

“You can come out, Aran. I still can’t believe that even after all this time you can’t suppress your presence.” Pierre scolded as Aran stood and walked to him, setting the end of his halberd down on the street.

 

“How is Jack?” Aran asked.

 

“He’s unknowingly tripped the Ruby Crystal’s power. The resulting fusion made him use all his mana and subsequent energy. I believe your arrival here is what has started the crystals’ reawakening.” Aran nodded and looked to the star-filled sky.

 

“It’s only been a day since I arrived, but I’m beginning to think three days is too long. This world isn’t ready for something as powerful as the crystals. I was there at the docks watching them, and the others too had unknowingly tripped the crystal’s power, but not to the severity of Jack.” Pierre lowered his brow.

 

“Olsen left that detail out when telling us what had happened,” Pierre said, growling in his throat, crossing his arms.

 

“Don’t be too hard on him. It’s the girls, Helen and Jenny, that I would be most worried about.” Aran said, following Pierre’s stare.

 

“What do you mean?” Pierre asked, unfolding his arms and staring hard at Aran.

 

“You mean they didn’t tell you Jin?”

 

“Tell me what? What happened to the girls?” Pierre asked again, this time with a more intense growl in his voice. Aran sighed as his face fell.

 

“Both Helen and Jenny were nearly raped today. If it Jack hadn’t tripped the Ruby Crystal, I doubt that four unconscious people would be the worst that happened.” he sighed. Pierre clenched his fists tight enough to make his skin creak. Aran shook his head, firmly touching Pierre’s shoulder with his fist.

 

“We need to leave tomorrow, or else they may fully awaken their powers. Without proper training in a world that accepts the kind of powers they possess, I fear that they will destroy everything around them.” Pierre looked up and lowered his brow.

 

“Tomorrow? Aran, dozens of preparations need to be made to sever ties with this world.” Pierre pressed when Aran grabbed his shoulder hard.

 

“Jin, listen to me! I stayed behind to watch the young men that Jack had defeated. From what I’ve come to understand of the people in this world, they don’t trust, nor do they accept people like you and me. They are terrified of people like us, and it will only cause more trouble if we stay much longer. Minerva forbid they should come after Helen and Jenny again when they are alone, or go after the boys when they are alone.” Aran argued. Pierre roughly pulled his arm away, clenching his right hand but remembering that he had already taken off his weighty claw. Aran dropped his hand and turned to leave, stopping to speak over his shoulder.

 

“I’ll convey the message to the others. Be ready to meet where I arrived with anything you will need,” Aran commanded. Pierre sighed heavily and shook his head, his upper lip swelling as he pushed his tongue between it and his teeth.

 

“I’ll meet you there.” He finally said while Aran nodded and disappeared. Pierre leaped into the air and then was propelled forwards with a hex made of lavender light, heading back home.

 

“ _‘…And so, when the time is near, the power of those blessed with their power will show itself as a sign that the final battle is nearing fruition.’ I guess there’s no going against it now. What would you do, master?”_ Jin thought as he lept through the darkness back home, only accompanied by the silence of the night air.

 

* * *

 

The Mage’s whispers seemed pleased as he tapped his finger on the arm of his chair, watching everything from his crystal ball.

 

“Why not give them a taste of what’s to come if things are progressing so nicely?” Eleanor asked silkily. The Mage turned his pale red eyes to her, narrowing them as if to ask ‘why’?

 

“If they can’t hold their own against your pawn, the Stump King, then there’s no use in calling them here.” The Mage growled low in his throat approvingly, whispers rising around her. Eleanor smiled back, sitting on the arm of his throne while running her long black nails along his jawline and turning his face to her, hovering just above where she guessed his lips to be.

 

“Indeed, it is an endeavor worth trying.”


	3. Returning to a place you've never seen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR Chapter overhaul 3-6-19

The next morning, Matthew woke up with everything in a haze. As he walked from his room to the kitchen, he noticed pictures and keepsakes missing from hallways walls. Walking further through the house, he saw furniture missing, as well as the entire house having been cleaned from top to bottom. Outside, dark clouds drifted overhead, making everything Matthew saw seem even stranger. John and Yasmin walked in from the front door with sweat-streaked dust on their faces, as a Salvation Army 18-wheeler pulled away from the front of their house. The only thing that remained was the phone. Yasmin spotted Matthew standing at the end of the hall as she came in.

 

“Oh, Son. You’re up.” She called, grabbing a nearby towel and wiping her face.

 

“What’s going on? And where is all our stuff?” Matthew asked, looking around at the patchwork-faded carpet where the furniture used to be.

 

“Matthew, listen. We are…” before John could finish speaking, the phone rang. Matthew quickly answered it, discovering that it was Jack on the other end.

 

“ _Hey man, you’ll never believe what my mom just did.”_

 

“I bet it’s not any stranger then what’s going on at my house.”

_“What’s going on there?”_

 

“My folks just gave everything away to charity. _EVERYTHING_ man.”

_“You’re kidding, right? My folks just did the same thing. Jenny’s and Olsen’s folks too. I bet Helen is having the same problem.”_ Just as Jack was finishing his sentence, the phone beeped.

 

“Hang on man; there’s another call on the line. Hello?”

_“Matt?  It’s Helen.”_ her voice sounded quiet and raspy.

 

“Hey, are you doing alright?” he asked, realizing that his current situation was still not as pressing as Helen’s.

_“I’m at least not crying anymore. Jenny stayed with me overnight.”_

 

“That’s good. I’m sorry that Olsen and I couldn’t get to you sooner. We froze.”

_“It’s alright, we were all in a very tight sit...”_ the phone line went dead, leaving an annoying beeping in the receiver. Matthew tried to get the phone working again by tapping on the hanger before he hung up the phone and turned back to his parents.

 

“Ok, what in the _hell_ is going on?”  Matthew demanded. Heavily, John sighed as he stepped forward.

 

“Son, the game Maplestory you’ve been playing is not just a game, it’s a tutor for…” claps of thunder interrupted him while the wind began to blow. Matthew ran outside to see what was going on to see a funnel forming above the cottonwood tree in their front yard. Looking out from the door, John turned and snatched a large backpack, then grabbed Yasmin by the wrist and led her away from the house while trying to grab Matthew’s hand. Winds steadily picked up all around them until they were strong enough to make the shingles on the house flutter.

 

“We have to leave now!” John bellowed, dragging Matthew down the front walkway to the street. Matthew never questioned his father, but right now was going to be an exception. He pulled his hand from John’s enormous strength and stopped just in front of their tree.

 

“Dad, what’s going on!? The same thing happened at school. What is…” a peel of lightning threaded from the clouds to the tree, leaving a smoldering, jagged hole where it had struck. Matthew shook his head, trying to get the ringing out of his ears, turning his attention back to the cottonwood. Within moments, the leaves died and fell from its branches. The bark became dry and splintered before his eyes, peeling away from the truck. An ethereal thrum reverberated as the roots pulled from the ground and squirmed across the grass like tentacles. Holes began to appear high on the trunk, crackling and popping as it started to move. John’s skin paled, and his blood ran cold: he knew who this abomination was and he couldn’t allow his son to face him yet, not without proper training.

 

In a flash of bluish gold light, John appeared beside Matthew, dragging him back with the same blur of speed as a thick root slammed down where Matt had been a moment before. It hit with enough force to break the walkway into rubble, collapsing what remained into the dirt. John quickly returned to Yasmin, grabbing her hand and running in the direction of the school.

 

From behind them, the tree let out an otherworldly scream as its roots pulled its trunk free. It began walking out into the road, its roots wriggling across the pavement. Matthew looked back, seeing a strange red cloth appear around its upper bows, followed by a few balls of dark light floating around the top branches facing him with faintly glowing pupils.

 

As he took in the scene behind him, Matthew recognized what, or rather, who it was. The tree was the boss monster from the deserts of Perion, Stumpy. But, Stumpy was just a character from the game Maplestory, wasn’t he? What in the world was he doing here? Why was he even real?

 

Driving its root feet into the street for stability, Stumpy opened his splintered mouth as bright golden light gathered at the back of his throat.

 

“INCOMING!” Matthew shouted, making John look back and drop Matthew, while forcing Yasmin to the ground as a beam of light shot over them. A nearby parked car became the unfortunate recipient of the ray, melting into a smoldering pile of molten metal. Yasmin and Matthew stared slack-jawed at what was left of the vehicle until Jon hauled them to their feet and began running once more.

 

Howling roars filled the air as Stumpy gave chase, weaving his way down the street after the three running before him. As the three of them rounded a corner, John saw the Olmans, Tina, and Jenny walking down the road not far ahead of them. Glen heard the noise of their slamming feet on the pavement and turned to see who it was, calling out to them as they ran passed.

 

“John! Why are you in such a hurry? Didn’t we all agree last night to meet at noon? And what was that...” his question was cut short when Stumpy rounded the corner, letting out an ethereal roar. May and Greg, Helen’s parents, both stumbled back, tripping over themselves as they turned to run. Glen took Helen by the hand as he and Helen lifted a few inches from the ground and sped away after May and Greg. Tina’s brow furrowed as she reached for the bow around her shoulders, slinging it into her hands and nocking an arrow. Jenny’s eyes became wide, trying to see the walking tree until Tina grabbed her shoulder hard, making her look into Tina’s eyes.

 

“Jenny, go with the Olmans.”

 

“Mom, what is that…”

 

“JENNY! DO NOT QUESTION ME! GO! NOW! RUN!!!” Tina shouted, pushing Jenny away with a firm hand. Jenny hesitated, looking behind her mother at the closing tree, skipping backwards before turning around in a full sprint. Just as Tina whipped around to face her foe, a root shot past her. Tina swung her bow, a burst of blue flaring as the bow cut through the root. As she spun her bow back into her hands to draw the sinews, a larger root swung from behind her, batting her out of the street in into a nearby car. The loud crash of glass and crunch of metal made Jenny turn around, seeing her mother slumped against a badly damaged car.

 

“MOM!” Jenny screamed. Further down the road, Glen, Matthew, John Yasmin, Helen, May and Greg all stopped when they heard Jenny’s scream. May put a hand to her mouth shock seeing Tina slumped against the car, pulling Helen behind her as if to shield her from the sight. Greg appeared ready to run into action when John stopped him, shaking his head.

 

“Stay with Yasmin, she will take you three to the school. Wait for us there.” He commanded. In flash of bluish-gold light, John appeared next to Tina, picking her up and jumping back as another beam of light melted the car. Jenny spun in all directions until she saw her mom standing next to John and Matthew, holding her head and was about to begin running to them when she felt a thick root wrap around her, hauling her into the air.

 

Jenny’s piercing scream split the air making Matthew turn to see her being slowly crushed, her screams beginning to become gapes of pain. Matthew looked around the area, thoughts of his hesitation at the docks spurring him on until he saw a baseball bat in a front yard of a nearby house. After grabbing it, he rushed towards Stumpy, planting his foot next to the tree’s trunk and swinging the bat as hard as he could. A rush of bright red flames roared down his arms and bat, slamming into the tree hard enough to collapse part of the trunk, making thunder echo down the road. Matthew grinned to himself until he heard his dad’s voice call to him. Looking to his right, another large root swung at him, dirt and dust flinging into the air as it moved. Before it hit, John appeared in front of Matthew, holding up a shield but being thrown into Matthew as both of them were hurled into a hedge of nearby rose bushes.

 

Lights began popping in Jenny’s vision as the root around her curled tighter and tighter around her waist. She was only vaguely aware of Helen’s grandfather calling to her, as her hearing began to fade and was replaced with the rush of blood and the pulse of her heart. Jenny’s head began to feel light as it became harder and harder to breath; she was sure that at any moment, her ribs would collapse.

 

“Olsen… help…” she wheezed, feeling something beginning to well up within her. It felt hot, as if fire were hurtling through her veins. Meanwhile, Glen held a bright fireball in his palms ready to fire, but with Jenny being held hostage, he hesitated. He was worried the blaze would do more than burn only the tree, especially since Jenny wasn’t wearing any protective armor, when he noticed a cloud of green flames on her hands.

 

“Oh no no no no no…” Glen muttered to himself, shaking his hand free of the flames and instead, an icicle that fizzed with electricity formed around his staff. He held it as if it were ready to launch a spear, when a black streak cut the root, appearing with Jenny in his arms some distance away. When Glen saw that Jenny was clear, the electricity around the icicle buzzed louder, snapping off the manhole covers as Glen hurled his icicle. The sound of thunder blasted down the road. A shockwave ballooned from Stumpy, throwing John and Matthew from the rose bushes, breaking the windows of the nearby cars and shoving them to the side. Ice plastered across Stumpy’s face, flattening him to the ground, making everything fall eerily silent. Glen immediately rushed in the direction Jenny disappeared to, finding Tina kneeling next to Pierre, dressed in black shinobi attire. John and Matthew began to painfully pull rose branches and thorns from their clothes and skin.

 

“I’m sorry Tina, but we can’t stay here. I don’t know how long that attack will keep The Stump King paralyzed.” he urged, looking over the unconscious Jenny in Pierre’s arms.

 

“If Jenny is moved she may sustain unintended injuries. That root gripped her tight enough to fracture her arm.” Tina argued.

 

“And if we don’t move now, The Stump King will be ready to fight us head on. You’ve become lax in your training Athena as well as Dances, otherwise this may not have happened.” Pierre scolded, soliciting a smoldering glare from Tina. Glen looked around for a moment, realizing someone was missing.

 

“Jin, where is Olsen?” Pierre slowly turned his attention to Glen, reaching into his shirt and pulling out a small vial of a thin white liquid and pouring it into Jenny’s mouth.

 

“When I heard the ruckus in this direction. I sent him to fetch Kyrin, Jack, and Mark at their house and meet us at the school. This is the last of the Snow Potion I brought with me. It should speed up the healing of that fracture.”

 

“Not soon enough I’m afraid,” John said, both he and Matthew’s arms and face stained with blood from the rose thorns. Glen followed John’s pointing, seeing the roots of The Stump King beginning to move once again as the ice began to crack. Matthew’s wide eyes widened as he watched the huge oak tree begin to move once again.

 

“Uh, dad? It’s getting up again,” Matthew said, patting John’s arm to get his attention. Glen looked back to Jenny, shaking his head as he grunted in frustration.

 

“Everyone gather around. I’ll transport us to the school.” Glen said, holding out his arms as if to pull everyone in.

 

“I’m going after my wife and the Olmans. The school isn’t too far from here, but they are already around the corner,” John said, jogging down the road. Glen nodded his understanding, making sure everyone was close enough before folding his hands in a triangular shape, disappearing from the road with Tina, Jenny, Pierre and Matthew.

 

* * *

 

“What was that thing?” Greg asked, wheezing as he jogged along with Yasmin, brushing his short black hair out of his sweaty face. Both he and May weren’t very physically adept as being self employed accountants didn’t require much activity.

 

“I don’t know, but I do know that my husband can handle it.” Yasmin answered, keeping the four of them moving.

 

“It was a moving tree! Trees don’t move like that!” May argued, tripping as her small heeled shoes caught a crack in the sidewalk.

 

“It’s a creature called Stumpy, mom. It’s from the game I play all the time,” Helen answered flatly.

 

“From a game? Then why is that thing chasing us if it’s from a game?” Greg asked, though shrank back when he realized how loudly he had spoken. Yasmin was about to answer when she heard the slaps of feet on the sidewalk coming from behind her, turning around to see John.

 

“Oh, did you…”

 

“No. He’s coming, we need to run.” John said when Greg let out a loud whining groan.

 

“More running? Are you kidding me?” John turned around, motioning to the giant tree rounding the corner.

 

“More running it is!” Greg called as the five of them once again jogged towards the school. Within a few short minutes, Greg and May were heaving for breath, unable to keep pace. John hoisted them over his shoulders, running the last few hundred feet. When they arrived in the football field, the others had already gathered in the center of the crater, enclosed in police caution tape, while a guard persistently pestered Carrie, Tina, Jack, Mark, Matthew, Glen and Pierre, still holding the unconscious Jenny.

 

“Look, I don’t care if you’re the president’s daughter on a family picnic, lady. This area is strictly off-limits, not to mention that you have an unconscious girl here. You need to leave and get her to a doctor,” The cop argued with Carrie.

 

“And I will say it only one more time; _we’re not moving_. We need to be here, and that’s it.” She said, putting her hands on her hips. The cop grit his teeth as he saw the others hurriedly running for the circle; he reached for his radio with a livid growl.

 

“Look, you to need to stay out of the area.” He said, huffing as they ran passed him under the tape. When no one was listening to him, he quickly radioed in for backup.

 

“What took you so long, Dances. Did you forget your battle axe?” Carrie asked with a laugh in her voice. John set the Olmans down, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

 

“No, I needed to make sure these four weren’t caught,” John answered. Carrie raised an eyebrow.

 

“By what?” She asked, as John pointed to Stumpy as he came swashing through the grass around the school building.

 

“Oh…” Carrie answered. Glen whirled his hands around one another, preparing to use another spell. A forceful grunt echoed through the air as four large icicles careened into the dried-out tree, followed by a wave of ice that covered Stumpy in a thick sheet. The snowy ice led back to a man with short white hair and striking light blue eyes running past them, weilding a gold decorated halberd.

 

“You five get started. I’ll hold that tree off until you’re ready to go!” called the man, as Stumpy began to break free from the thick ice. Olsen, Matthew, Jack, and Helen looked at each other. So many things had happened around them all at once. First, it was a strange light with an Aran silhouette at school. Then it was Stumpy being real, and now Aran himself was battling the ancient tree spirit, Stumpy. The only element that connected them was the game Maplestory. Were they _all_ real? Their thoughts were interrupted when Pierre motioned for Olsen to hold Jenny, as the Five Masters drew their weapons, holding them over the center of the crater. As they did, each master called out a city and their name.

 

“Athena Pierce, Henesys!”

 

“Dark Lord Jin, Kerning City!”

 

“Dances with Balrog, Perion!”

 

“Grendal the Ancient, Ellinia!”

 

“Kyrin, Port of Nautilus! Power of Minerva, hear us! Let us travel from here to where we belong!” The clouds began to twist into a funnel above them as small yellow balls of light gathered into a bigger one. A root shot by Aran, but was flung back by a beam of blue light from his weapon before he lunged after the tree. A police car pulled into the grass facing the group, the policeman standing behind the door of his car and shouting over their loudspeakers when he saw the huge tree.

 

“Get out of there!” the policeman called. Dances looked back, about to tell the police to run when Stumpy wheeled around, reaching a root around the squad car and tossing it like a paper plane.  Glen pulled his staff from the center, swinging as though he had thrown something, as two sets of scratch marks appeared across Stumpy’s back to get the tree’s attention. When Stumpy turned back araound, Aran to pummeled the tree with a series of quick slashes. When Glen returned his staff to the center of the group, the light had solidified. A climbing whine began humming in the air, loud enough to be slightly painful.

 

“ARAN! IT IS READY!!” called Dances above the noise. Aran looked back; and in one hard swing, split the tree in half. He then flashed to the group just as the light drove down on them all. It shook the ground like an earthquake, ripping through the town for a few seconds before vanishing. Those who had seen the tree and the light came out of their hiding places and buildings alike, looking over the now deeper, smoldering crater in the school’s  football field.

 

* * *

 

The Mage slammed his hand down on the arm of his chair, as the mask he wore around the aura making up his face creaked from his clenching jaw. He grabbed a small glass statue and hurled it as hard as he could, shattering it against the wall. Ethereal growling sizzled in the air. One of his Skelegon servants waddled in with a golden platter, holding a glass of a special Mana potion Eleanor had made for The Mage.

 

He took the challis before holding up his free hand and slowly clenching it, making the bone creature crumble, snap into pieces, and gather into a ball. Quietly, The Mage walked to a window that overlooked the now desolate island of Ereve floating on the waters. Without the power of Shinsoo and the Empress Cygnus, it was nothing more than another drifting piece of land. Eleanor came walking in, swinging her hips with each step just as she usually did, and pulled back the hood covering her red eyes, silver hair, and beautiful, youthful face.

 

“Why are you letting yourself become agitated over this? It’s nothing more than a distraction. The Stump King is only alive when he has a tree to control, and even then, he is only as powerful as the tree he inhabits. Beyond that, he is nothing more than a floating orb.” She said, holding out her slender hand as an orb with a small flame above it appeared. Whispers hissed around her as The Mage held up his hand, cracking his knuckles as he clenched his fist.

 

“While it may have been to give them a taste, there was never any guarantee _they_ would be the ones to attack and not the Masters,” Eleanor answered, shaking her hand and dismissing the orb, placing her hands on The Mage’s shoulder and resting her chin on her hands. Thoughtfully, he drank another mouthful of potion, questioning whispers rising in the air, sounding as though he were trying to suppress his irritation.

 

“So far, nothing has turned up in the search. My wyverns have been searching day and night; and still, nothing has come of it. Are you sure that they’re above ground?” Eleanor questioned, as The Mage shook his head, sipping the potion. Eleanor backed slightly and bowed before disappearing in a cloud of vapors.

 

* * *

 

Jack stirred, slowly opening his eyes, but quickly closing them again when the light from outside stung his eyes and made his head pound. As he reached up to massage his temples, he realized that his whole body ached.

 

“ _What happened?”_ he thought, groaning as the pain in his head slowly faded. From somewhere in the distance, he could hear what sounded like a crowd in a mall or a fair.

 

“ _The last thing I remember was running to school, mom yelling something, and then hit with a beam of light._ ” Once his headache had subsided just a bit, Jack tried to get up but felt something hold him down. The something didn’t feel like a hand; it felt like a paw. He opened his eyes and saw a panda wearing a blue kimono, an orange overcoat with wide eyes and a wild tuft of fur on the top of his head.

 

“Lay down young man. You’ve got quite a bump there. Or is a lump?” the panda said, pressing a towel, smelling of bitter herbs and some other strong scents, to his head. Jack tried to get up again, but the panda pushed him down again, harder this time.

 

“You are to stay here for a while. I don’t want you getting all woozy and pass out.” The panda said. Jack relaxed and put his head down on the pillow, chuckling to himself as he reached for his forehead to feel the protruding goose egg.

 

“I must have hit my head pretty hard. There’s a Panda taking care of me.” Jack mumbled. The Panda looked around the room, spinning left and right multiple times.

 

“Where? I don’t see him.” The panda asked. Jack picked up his hand and pointed at the Panda who responded by pointing to his chest and raising his eyebrows.

 

“You think _I’m_ the talking panda?” the panda said, walking over to a mirror hanging on the wall, rubbing his chin as if to inspect a shave.

 

“Well, you’re right about the Panda. Handsome fella.” He said, reaching for a comb to brush down the tuft of fur atop his head. Another panda pushed aside the cloth door, flooding the room with light, making Jack moan again.

 

“Mr. Do, Tae Sang needs your help. More warriors than he can handle are returning .” The second panda said.

 

“Tell him I’ll be right there.” The panda in the kimono turned to leave, pointing his paw at Jack.

 

“Now stay there until I come back. I’m Mr. Do by the by. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Mr. Do said as, he reached back to shake Jack’s hand before leaving, his voice fading into the distance. Jack sighed and blinked a few times, trying to rid his vision of the rainbows he saw. It sounded like this panda was a doctor of some kind. But it was a _talking panda_! Things like that didn’t just happen! Looking around the room once his vision had cleared, Jack slowly sat up, pulling off the towel on his head. In trying to stand, a wave of dizziness washed over him, so he reached out for the nearest wall to steady himself. He began to hear echoes of whispers coming from a long way off.

 

He looked around the room to find where it was coming from, but it sounded like it was coming from everywhere. Thousands of whispers gradually became louder and louder when all at once they became a single female voice. It was soothing and warm.

 

“Welcome home, child,” the voice said, dying away in the same eerie whispers.

 

“ _Welcome home? I don’t even know where I am!_ ” Jack shook his head when another wave of dizziness washed over him, walking through the cloth door once it passed. On the dirt paths, dozens of people walked, ran, or limped around the city-like campsite. Some of the people carried bowls of herbs and other ointments, while others moved supplies. Across the street were rows of wounded soldiers or strange short men having their injuries treated.

 

Jack carefully walked through the crowds of people, noticing that several of the adults would bow to him as he passed by. Small children came running up to him asking if he was going to, in their words, beat up the Black Mage for good. Jack couldn’t answer. He felt like he was dreaming with all the respect and adoration shown to him. It was almost creepy. He tried to walk away quickly, but as he did, a small entourage of children began to gather around him. Eventually, he found Matthew, Helen, Jenny, and Olsen, with a crowd of children following them and bowing to them as they passed.

 

“Where were you, sleepy head? It’s been a couple of days.” Jenny said, carrying a small girl with fire red hair in her arms .

 

“ _Days_? I’ve been out for _days_?” Jack asked in surprise.

 

“I was beginning to think that you weren’t going to wake up,” Helen called, escorting a child in each hand. Jack smiled, happy that Helen seemed to be doing at least a little better. Leaning over to Olsen, he spoke quietly.

 

“How’s Helen doing? She seems a lot better.” He asked as Olsen nodded.

 

“She appears to be better for the most part, though I doubt she will ever forget the experience. There are sometimes she’ll still jump if she hears someone behind her, or feels a hand on her shoulder. Jenny has been staying near her, and it appears to have helped her. Only time will tell.” Olsen answered. Jack nodded his understanding.

 

“What about Jenny? Is she ok? Last time I saw her, she was knocked out in your arms,” Olsen sighed, looking over to Jenny as she knelt down and played with a blond boy.

 

“Jenny had a fractured arm and a few cracked ribs from that tree grabbing her. She’s lucky too; one of the doctors here said a moment longer, and one of her ribs would have broken completely and punture a lung,”

 

“Dang man. How is she otherwise?”

 

“Physically she’s fine. Helen’s grandfather did something to her by waving his hand over her. Mentally though, she’s still adjusting. She will jump if you come up behind her and don’t call out to her.” Again, Jack nodded his understanding and walked beyond them, where he was what appeared to be the main street, where makeshift shops and food vendors lined each side of the road.

 

“Where the _hell_ are we? Is this some kind of county fair?” Jack asked, half expecting to see a parking lot on the far side of this marketplace. Olsen walked beside him, a dark-haired little boy holding his hand.

 

“No. It isn’t. Trust me, I looked for a parking lot. All I managed to find is that we’re in what appears to be a refugee camp.” He said, seeing someone he thought to be Ms. Price and Mr. Drake walking among the people on the main road. But they were dressed very differently, and people would bow to them or excitedly greet them as they walked. Ms. Price wore a sturdy, brown, long-sleeved blouse and green skirt with slits running up to her hips. On her head, she wore a golden band with a gem in the center.

 

“Jenny, is that your mother?” Olsen asked, pointing her out to Jenny. She stared for a while, trying to see the woman she had come to know in her 17 years of life. But the woman she was seeing was so different; even the way she acted towards people had changed from a couple days ago.

 

“Wait a minute, is that my dad?!” Matthew asked, staring in disbelief at the man he saw.

 

“Weren’t you awake for the last couple days? Didn’t you see him then?” Jack asked.

 

“Well, yeah, but not dressed like that!” Matthew exclaimed.  Mr. Drake was wearing a headdress decorated with large, black-tipped feathers. A thick, leather faud and tassets hung from his waist, and a decorated cowl sat around his neck. Jack chuckled when he saw them.

 

“They almost look like Athena Pierce and Dances with Balrog from…” his words trailed off into silence as he remembered what had been said before the light slammed into him from the sky.

 

“No…” he grunted. Jenny caught his train of thought and turned to him, her whole body beginning to shudder as adrenaline rushed through her.

 

“Jack, tell me you aren’t thinking what I think you are.” She asked when Helen spoke up, as she too realized the implication.

 

“But that would mean we are _in_ the game of Maplestory; that only happens in novels and anime.” She said.

 

“What other explanation could there be?” Olsen asked, letting go of the child’s hand to face his friends.

 

“Don’t forget, we all saw Aran, and Stumpy attacked at the school. None of that happened where we are right now.” Matthew pointing to Olsen and tilted his head to the side.

 

“Actually, Stumpy came from my house. He was the oak tree from our front yard.” Matthew explained.

 

“So then, where are we?” Helen asked.

 

“That’s easy. You’re in Ossyria!” one of the children answered. The answer silenced all five of them until the children tugged on their hands to walk with them through the main road, shops, and ultimately to where all the people had set up the living sector.

 

“So Jack, what did you wake up to?” Jenny asked as the kids led them from one tent “house” to the next, showing the group their favorite items.

 

“I woke up in some hut where a Panda named Mr. Do was taking care of me. Where’s my dad?” Jack asked. Matthew returned a stuffed rabbit to a child before answering.

 

“My mom, your dad, and Helen’s folks are all being watched over in another part of the camp. They’re still knocked out. We found out that a combination of coming here, wherever ‘here’ is, and hitting the ground knocked everyone out except Mr. Da’Lor, Ms. Price, Mr. Olman, Mrs. Waterman, and my dad.” He explained when recognition came across his face.

 

“Wait, did you say ‘Mr. Do’?” he asked in surprise.

 

“Yeah, why?”

 

“Was he wearing a blue Kimono with an Orange overcoat?” Matthew asked. Helen and Jenny raised their eyebrows in response, unsure of where he was leading the question.

 

“What are you getting at Matt?” Jack asked.

 

“Mr. Do was the medicine creator in Maplestory from Mu Lung. You know, the one that gives you a book of medicines?” Matthew explained. Helen lowered her brow, impulsively reaching for her phone until she remembered she had no service.

 

“Do you think that’s connected to what we talked about a moment ago?” she asked, looking around and noticing their surroundings were uncannily familiar to an area of the game called Mu Lung. A gruff voice from behind them interrupted their thoughts.

 

“Yeh’d make a better door if ye be standin’ in a buildin’. Iffin I could have yeh move I’d be thankful.” All five of them jumped at the sound, turning to see a short man with a huge mustache, a hook for one hand, and peg leg that had been polished and worn. His hat was so low over his eyes that all one could see was his bulbous red nose. In his arms, he carried a crate full of what appeared to be bottles and corks.

 

Helen was about to ask questions when Carrie, dressed in an elegant red leather corset and snug fitting black short shorts, jogged up to them. A wide belt holstered a pistol on her hip, and black thigh high boots donned her feet. Completing her get-up was a fur-trimmed cape and a red 18th-century captain’s hat.

 

“Jack, there you all are… I’ve been looking all over for you. All of you come with me; we need to talk.” Jack raised his eyebrow, covering the eyes of the small child next to him.

 

“Uh… Mom? What’s with the skimpy clothes? Are you trying to dress like Kyrin from Maplestory?” he asked. Matthew and Olsen swallowed hard as they looked away from her, trying to concentrate on something in the distance.

 

“Just follow me. It’ll all make sense in a minute.” She answered. Skeptically the five of them followed Carrie through the bushes and underbrush along a dirt path leading to the east. Olsen sped up his steps until he was level with Jenny, tapping her shoulder to catch her attention.

 

“Are you doing alright? I mean, from what happened while we were at the docks.” He asked. Jenny shrugged.

 

“I’m still a little jumpy, but I think Helen got the worst of it. I’ve been sticking close to her as much as I can. She’ll pull through though.” She answered as another few minutes passed until they came to a dock. Around it stood four more people standing around a table made of a fallen tree, all of them vaguely appearing to be their parents.

 

 Helen eyed her who she thought to be her grandfather wearing a tall white hat sporting a golden star, a white robe, and holding an old weathered staff in one hand. She had seen him while visiting her parents, May and Gregory, while they were still unconscious during the previous two days. However, he hadn’t yet changed into the white attire he now wore. Matthew, Jack, Jenny, and Olsen still couldn’t completely understand why their parent’s change had been so drastic. Behind them, Aran walked up to the group, taking his place within the semi-circle in front of The Five.

 

“I’m sure that you all have many questions, and you’ve wanted to have them answered as quickly as possible. Your patience is appreciated so that we can talk to you all at one time and not repeat ourselves. I can see there is one question, in particular, you would like answered.” Aran announced as he looked to all five of them, as if trying to read their emotions. Matthew stepped forward, taking a breath before speaking what had been on their minds.

 

“Where have you taken us?” he asked bluntly. Aran chuckled under his breath and smirked, thinking back to when he had first begun training under Minerva.

 

“With some help from your parents, these Five Masters of Ossyria, you have been transported from your world of Earth to the world of Ossyria.” Olsen raised his brow, stepping forward so that he was beside Matthew.

 

“Do you mean like the main continent in the game, Maplestory? All of this is a computer game?” he asked. Aran looked to Athena for a moment who shook her head.

 

“No, Olsen. The world of Ossyria is no game. It is an actual world, where people live, work, and even die. I, and by extension, the Masters of Ossyria, welcome you back to your rightful home. You who will be the saviors of this world: The Guardians of Ossyria.”


	4. All's Past, Your Past, and Choices...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, I've been busy with Voice Acting stuff... that and this chapter was giving me fits. I know it still may not be the best, but I need to keep moving forward. Maybe oneday I'll come back and see if I can make it better.
> 
> T.K.

The only sound The Five could hear was the sound of the camp city in the distance as they took in the sight of their parents bowing to them as though they were royalty. After a couple of minutes passed, Jack was the first to break the odd silence.

 

“Look, I really like the royal treatment here, but this is so far over the top that it can’t be real,” He said, looking to Carrie as she looked up from her kneeling position. When she didn’t respond, Jack pressed further, trying to break the supposed act.

 

“Does dad know how much all of this cost? I mean you might have paid for part of all of this, but this has to have maxed out your credit card,” Jack pressed, but still, none of their parents were answering. Matthew finally walked over to him after a long silence.

 

“I don’t think this is a fake, Jack. Olsen, Helen, Jenny, and I explored this whole area before you woke up. Trust me; it’s all real. All of this is a real world.” He said. Helen focused on Aran, crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one leg.

 

“I can believe being taken to another world, perhaps even taken to another part of the globe seeing as we were all engulfed with a beam of light. Strange, yes, but explainable. But telling us we five are related to the class masters from a computer game is a stretch. Things like that don’t exist,” Helen said firmly. Jenny came up to her and stood just within Helen’s peripheral vision.

 

“Why wouldn’t it be? If it were real, it would explain all that weird stuff that happened at the dock.” She said, hesitating as she finished her sentence. Helen clenched her jaw and pulled her arms tighter around her chest.

 

“Yes, Jenny. I am well aware of what happened at the dock.” She answered, speaking each word intensely while remembering the distress forced onto her. Tina stood and came forward, holding out her hand to Jenny.

 

“If you let us, we can attempt to explain where we are and who you are meant to be,” she answered. From behind her, the remaining four masters came forward and guided their children away from the dock in multiple directions. Olsen looked over his shoulder, watching as Jenny and Matthew were led back towards the camp city to the north. He felt a tap on his shoulder and was instructed by his father, Pierre, to follow him closely through the dense underbrush of the forest surrounding the dock. He had no idea of what was in store; but in the same breath, he was curious.

 

Jenny’s choice

 

Tina led Jenny north through the main street of the camp city, and into the forest on the far end. As they weaved through the crowds, Jenny was wowed by how many people would stop the two of them and excitedly talk to Tina. Some would talk about what sounded to be bow techniques, while others would speak with awe. On the far side of the main street, Tina directed Jenny to a well-worn path leading to what appeared to be a target range for learning archers. Bent or broken arrows stuck out of both targets and trees a few yards away from them, reminding Jenny of the single target range in the Watermans’ backyard. Jenny’s thoughts were sharply interrupted when Tina placed an uncharacteristically heavy hand on her shoulder, stopping her mid-stride.

 

“Jenny; what is it you have seen since coming here?” Tina asked, letting go of Jenny’s shoulder and walking to a split log bench where a large, silver and orange bow lay with a quiver of arrows next to it. Jenny thought for a moment, recalling everything she had seen in the previous day while waiting for Jack to wake up.

 

“Well, I’ve seen soldiers, pandas, strange short guys, all kinds of weird plants I didn’t know even existed…”

 

“No, Jenny. That is not what I mean.” Tina interrupted.

 

“What does this area look like to you? What does the presence of so many people gathered together as such appear to you as?” Tina asked, this time with an almost wistful quality to her voice. Jenny’s brow waved from one side to the other, mentally taking note of the area and the things she had seen while being escorted by her entourage of children earlier in the day.

 

“It kinda reminds me of what Mu Lung would look like if it were real life. And all the people here make it look like this is some kind of refugee camp,” Jenny answered. Her mother picked up the quiver, and put it around her shoulders, and picked up the bow.

 

“That is indeed the case, Jenny. All of these tents, this entire “city” is a refugee camp for the thousands of people who used to live on Victoria Island. A long time ago, I absorbed and wielded the power of the Emerald Crystal to keep the entire world of Ossyria safe and to stop the Black Wings from resurrecting their master, The Black Mage. But now that power has been passed to you, and it is why I have been teaching you Archery.” Jenny looked to her hands, then took a seat on the nearest bench, unsure if her mother had suddenly lost her mind until she saw Tina walk to one of the lanes in front of a target.

 

“My name is not Tina Price; it is Athena Pierce. I am the Bow Master of Henesys on Victoria Island.” Jenny still looked at her mother with deep apprehension, unsure whether or not to believe her. What was she trying to pull? She couldn’t equate the mother, Tina, she had grown up with, to the mighty archer, Athena Pierce, that she claimed to be.

 

“Don’t you trust me, Jenny?” Athena asked, shifting her grip on the bow. Jenny slapped her knees with her hands and stood up from the bench with a huff.

 

“You’re telling me that you’re supposed to be someone from a game, an NPC. I mean yeah, it sounds awesome, but like Jack said, it's just too over the top to be real,” Jenny answered. Athena nodded and held her hand to the sky.

 

“Then let me prove it to you,” Athena said with a devious grin as blue cloud swirled into existence on the palm of her hand where it became a fiery red mass. The cloud shot straight into the sky, piercing through the air and creating a portal into another dimension. A fiery Phoenix appeared from the portal, dull heat emanating from its body as it hovered in the air. With a lift of Athena’s hand, the Phoenix locked its gaze onto a target. A blaze of hot flames roared from its wings, reducing the target to ashes and scorching the ground beneath.

 

The Phoenix then returned to its dimension through the same portal, which shrank out of existence. A green fern-like glow then lit up around Athena’s eyes as she held up the silver and orange bow and drew its string. The same blue, cloud-like substance flared around her hands and began engulfing the bow, taking the form of a dragon’s head where an arrow would be, and taking aim at another target. When she released the string, the blue cloud turned bright green and let out a roar. It obliterated the mark and leveled every tree in its path, charring the ground behind it.

 

Athena then pulled six arrows from her quiver and nocked all six, turning to face a third target. The same blue glow flared from her arms, engulfing the arrows as Athena drew the string of the bow. When she released, each of the six arrows became a bright white light, firing one at a time from the bow into the target. The light of the first arrow exploded, blasting a hole through the target, allowing the next five arrows to hit a tree behind it, making chunks of its trunk explode. Jenny was stunned as the realization began to cement in her mind. Her mother was the _actual_ Athena Pierce! The bow master from her favorite game! Now things were getting interesting. There were still hundreds of questions she needed to settle in her mind, but the evidence shown to her was enough for Jenny to at least _consider_ what was asked of her.

 

“Wow…” Jenny whispered, walking over to the targets and looking over the devastation. Athena walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder as if asking Jenny to turn around.

 

“Do you now believe in what I have told you, Jenny? I did not teach archery to you because it was an excellent physical exercise. You were born with that ability. Everything I have shown to you are abilities that you too will achieve. It will take much training, far more than you have been given while in Ohio; but you can be far greater than even I. So, are you able to stand and take up this bow, the Kandiva, and accept that _you_ are to defeat the Black Mage?” Athena asked, holding the Kandiva out to Jenny. Jenny tripped in awe, slowly wrapping her soft, non-calloused hands around the bow, feeling as though an ancient power was flowing through it. Athena slowly let Jenny take the weight and backed away proudly.

 

“This thing’s heavier than it looks,” Jenny commented, looking over the metal frame and pausing for a moment as her eyes caught a glint of the palm-sized gem set in the center of the bow. Jenny held it up and treid to draw it. As she pulled the string back, her arms began to shake and wobble until she was finally able to wrench the string back by a small distance.

 

“That is the weight of the future set before you. It will be some time before you are ready to use this bow, the Kandiva and its companion, the crossbow Nishada, properly; but with training, you will be a better bow master than even I.” Athena said wistfully.

 

Olsen’s Choice

 

Olsen followed Pierre southeast through the thick bushes and close-growing trees for what felt like ages, using the area as a makeshift parkour course that led to a quiet spot near the shore. When Olsen was sure their trek was finished, he put his hands on his knees and heaved for breath as the misty air of the area made it difficult to breathe. After a short rest, Pierre walked away from Olsen until he was a few feet from the edge of the water, standing in silence and listening to the water lapping on the rocky sand.

 

“Olsen, you still have not been training to keep your energy under control,” Pierre said, pulling his hands behind his upper back. Once Olsen caught his breath, he straightened to his full height and squared his shoulders.

 

“Yes, I know,” Olsen answered flatly. Pierre said nothing for a long while, standing with his back to Olsen until he dropped his arms and reached into a burlap bag hanging from his hip.

 

“Have you no excuses to offer?” Pierre asked, pulling something from the bag.

 

“No sir, I have none,” Olsen answered in return.

 

“And why is that? Have I not taught you what needs to be done?” He asked, turning around to face Olsen while holding his hands behind him once again.

 

“Yes sir, you have.”

 

“Then what is your excuse for still being unable to control your breathing? That jaunt through the woods was a short stroll compared to what will be asked of you.” Pierre pressed, making Olsen chuckle.

 

“Is something funny, son?”

 

“You say that as if I am being groomed to be a hero in some video game.”

 

“Does this world look like a game son? Do the soldiers returning from defending the borders of the Herb Town camp look like a game? Does the power that Jack unleashed when Helen was almost raped look like a game to you?” Pierre growled. Olsen clenched his jaw hard as the reminder that he was utterly useless was brought up again. He was there when Helen woke up two days ago, and his dad questioned her about her ordeal. But Olsen felt that his dad already knew what happened.

 

“You wield the power of the Pink Quartz Crystal within you, a power that I once wielded, and believe me, it is a power this world needs right now.”

 

“Then take it back! What makes me special to be the only one to wield this power you’re talking about?” Olsen sneered, clenching his fist tightly. Pierre let out a hard sigh, pulling his right arm from behind, sporting a partially armored glove. On top of the wrist and forearm were pointed plates that formed what appeared to be a maple leaf pointing to his elbow. On the center plates of the leaf and on the back of the hand were golf ball-sized green gems.

 

“I cannot. The power of the Quartz has become a part of your very soul. There is no taking it back. And as much as I loathe the thought, I am growing too old. My body is slowing down, and new pains of ancient wounds are beginning to exacerbate it. My time as Dark Lord Jin, Master Ninja of Kerning City, is coming to a close,” Pierre said with an almost regretful tone.

 

“Dark Lord Jin? Dad, you are a private investigator. I don’t think you need to worry too much about slowing down.” Olsen answered. He faced his dad and realized that he saw that Pierre, for the first time in a very long time, looked old and tired.

 

“This world needs heroes, Son. With the Black Mage released from his seal, the people of Ossyria will need them now, more than ever. But my time has passed. You must take up that mantle.”

 

“You are asking me to protect a world. I was unable to defend two of my friends from a group of thugs!” Olsen shouted, throwing up his arms.

 

“You can, and you _will_ protect everyone, once you have been trained to use your powers.”

 

“What _powers,_ Dad? You’re not making any sense,” Olsen said, crossing his arms over his chest. Pierre closed his eyes as a blue haze appeared around his right hand and glove. The presence around him felt heavy, as if the air itself were responding to the respect he commanded.

 

“Then let me show you,” Pierre said cryptically. Three throwing stars appeared in his hand, hurling them past Olsen’s head, burying them into a tree behind him. Streaks of fire followed after the stars and burned the tree’s trunk to a crisp. After the first throw, more blue haze engulfed another star that Pierre had drawn, making it grow to his height in size, while eerie green vapors rose from the metal.

 

With a grunt, he threw the enlarged star into the forest lining the beach, cutting through four trees. Olsen watched in awe before feeling a breeze rush past him, as his father caught the giant star which shrank back to normal, while the blue haze dispersed into the air. A moment later, Pierre stood by Olsen, holding the claw to him, blue vapors rising from the metal.

 

“I _am_ Dark Lord Jin, Ninja Master of Kerning City. Ahead of you are dangerous trials and tasks. What I have shown you is only a small taste of what you will be able to accomplish. However, you must endure training of a much higher caliber. You may even have to kill.” Dark Lord said sternly. Olsen wasn’t really sure he was ready to accept what he had seen or what he was told. Slowly, he took the heavy glove and slipped it on, struggling to keep his arm up until the weight of the glove tired his arm, making it hang beside him.

 

“I’m pretty sure I can do it,” Olsen answered, hauling his right hand back up with the assistance of his left.

 

“We ninja do not have the luxury of being ‘pretty sure,’ Olsen. Remember that. With each shuriken, we throw, or each swing of a dagger we make, we must be sure in what those actions will do. Mistakes mean people can, and will, die. Memorize the weight of that claw, The Skanda; for in it, as well as the dagger, Dark Mate, lies the burden of your future and the future of everyone here in Ossyria.”

 

Helen’s Choice

 

Before leaving the circle, Glen lifted himself from the ground and levitated north toward the nearby forest, while Helen followed. He stopped in an area covered by matted leaves surrounded by shrubs. He remained still for a while, listening to the sound of the slight breeze rustling the leaves.

 

“Do you know what it is that you are being asked to do?” Glen asked, turning slightly to Helen. He spoke in a serious tone, a voice that she only heard when she was being scolded back in Ohio. Helen remained still, thoughts running through her head, trying to understand her surroundings. The thankful, friendly nature of everyone living in the camp and Aran’s words weighed on her mind ever since she woke up here. It was all too much to lay on a person all at once. Glen fully faced her, holding his staff forward.

 

“You were born with the power of a great mage in you, far more powerful than I could ever be…”

 

“Stop! Just stop it! I’m not this savior you think I am. I just want to go home.” Helen interrupted.

 

“Helen, you are home. This is where your bloodline comes from. This is where _I_ am from, and you are the last hope for this world. You have a power no other in this world, or any other, can ever wield. Do you think that I would make this up?”

 

“I don’t know! Are you making it up? Everything about my life for 18 years was normal. Then there’s a beam of light at our school, Jack goes all weird glowing status on us, and we’ve been whisked away to some weird place that you say is our home?! The highest stakes I’ve had to deal with were failing a test! If I’m supposed to be some great hero, where were my powers when that monster nearly raped me?!” Helen angrily screamed. Glen lowered his staff and walked to her, pulling her into a tight hug as she began letting out great tears into his chest.

 

“I’m sorry something so terrible happened to you. But you are far stronger than you realize. You may have this ghost haunting you, but Ossyria, my home and yours, needs you. Turn to those closest to you and let them be your strength when yours fails you.” Glen softly said, holding Helen for a long while until her tears slowly dissipated. Pulling away from him, she wiped her eyes and crossed her arms.

 

“I’m sorry, grandpa, but I’m not who you think I am. If I can’t even fight off one ordinary man, how am I supposed to defeat The Black Mage?” she asked, beginning to turn away.

 

“Helen, you are one of five Guardians destined to defeat the Black Mage. You are my granddaughter, a descendant of Grendal the Ancient, Master Magus of Ellinia. I will teach you everything you need to know, and you will become a mage far more powerful than I could ever be with the Amethyst Crystal’s power, which you now carry.” Helen stopped mid-stride, rage burning in her chest. Her ears felt hot as she turned around with a new bout of tears stinging her eyes.

 

“If you hadn’t come to my world in the first place none of this would have happened to me!  Magic only exists in movies and fantasy novels. I’m not going to stand here and have you make an idiot out of me because you want me to be some sort of ‘world savior’. I’m an 18-year-old senior in high school student who has a promising career in English literature!” Frustrated tears began to fall down her cheeks as she spoke.

 

“If you think that you can just lay this huge weight on my shoulders, you’re dead wrong! You can keep your fairy tales and wizardry to yourself!”

 

“Helen, will you listen to what I have to say?” Grendal asked, holding a hand out to her.

 

“No, just…” With tears streaming down her face, Helen ran off into the forest, running as fast as her legs could carry her to whatever direction that would get her out of this place and back to her home, her _real_ home. She ran through the main street, bumping shoulders with people there. Helen ran from her grandfather, ran from her pain, ran away from it all. When she finally stopped, she was on a secluded dock where bamboo boats were bobbing and bumping against each other.

 

“I just want to go home…” she said as she knelt down and hugged herself, feeling cold from the thick mist that hung in the air.

 

Jack’s Choice

 

Staying south of the main street on the beach, Jack and Carrie walked west as they watched Jenny, Ms. Price, Matthew, and Mr. Drake melt into the crowds filling the main road. As they neared a rather spacious area near the main docks, a few people gathered at the end of the main street to watch, making Jack feel nervous. Though, disappointingly they were coming to see Carrie. He laughed to himself, thinking about what Mark, his dad, would say if he were awake and around to see the dozen or so guys watching his mom’s every move.

 

“I’m guessing you’re bit confused about what happened to you back at the docks in Ohio, right?” Carrie asked. Jack blinked a shook his head, waking himself from his train of thought.

 

“Sorry ma, what did you say?” he asked.

 

“Do you remember what happened at the docks in Ohio?” Carrie asked again, smirking as she turned around to face him and crossed her arms at her waist. Jack looked up to the sky for a moment, finally nodding as the fuzzy memory came to him in bits and pieces, but unable to make sense of any of them.

 

“All I can remember is feeling something come over me. It was like this, warm blanket. It almost felt like I blacked out. But that was almost three days ago apparently. Why are you bringing it up now?” Carrie nodded and smiled, pulling her fur-trimmed cape from her shoulders and tossing it onto a large boulder jutting out of the coarse sand, one of a few surrounding them.

 

“You do know there are a _TON_ of guys watching you right? I know this is going to sound totally out of line, you look a little like a… call girl,” Jack said, taken aback once Carrie had tossed aside her cloak and revealed her tight-fitting clothes. Carrie laughed. Murihat and Black Bart had said the same thing when she first dressed this way.

 

“It’s alright. To tell you the truth, my father Black Bart would rather see me in a dress. I don’t mind a dress every now and then, but my abilities require freer movement rather than coverage; this suits me better.” She answered, motioning over her body and to the clothes she wore.

 

“But back to what happened at the docks. That was the power of the Ruby Cyrstal, a powerful relic from a long time ago. I’ve been teaching you what I know as a brawler so that you would have the fortitude to keep its power in check. Seems like you weren’t ready for it, and I don’t think you ever would have been if we stayed in Ohio.”

 

“Wait, what?!” Jack questioned, raising one of his eyebrows high enough that he unknowingly tilted his head.

 

“That feeling was the power of the Ruby Crystal I used to carry. It overwhelmed to the point that it took over, tapping into its memory of my using it and responding to your desire to keep Helen and Jenny safe.”

 

“Alright, I’m lost.” Jack laughed, throwing up his hands. Carrie took a breath and tossed aside her hat to reveal a bright red bandana tying back her hair. From under her belt, she pulled a pair of gloves with a plate over the hand that resembled a maple leaf edged with gold. Carrie clenched her fist after slipping on the glove making two blades shoot out from under the leaf. Once she had fully latched the gloves to her hands, a blue glow surrounded her arms and hands. In a blur of speed, Carrie appeared at a boulder, as sand blew into the air along her track. In less than a second, she reduced the majority of the rock to pebbles with powerful punches, the blades of the knucklers sparking each blow. Carrie then backflipped, breaking the last bit of rock away with a kick.

 

 

Sand swirled into the air as Carrie lept high into the air, spinning parallel to the ground until landed hard, driving her blue flaming punch into the sand, forming a crater. She quickly stood and slammed her fists into one another. Golden light flared around her as she jumped high into the air, the golden glow becoming a dragon’s head and neck; and as she descended, the light plunged below the surface. Afterward, dragon heads began to appear around them, immediately launching the remaining boulders into the air. Jack watched in awe each of the stones were wrenched from the ground. Carrie then reached to her hip and drew her pistol, pointing to each of the five rocks and cocking back the hammer. The gun glowed with the same blue flames, and a blast thundered from the barrel, making the boulders scatter into pebbles. The people standing on the outskirts of the main street all began running for cover.

 

When Jack was sure no more stones were falling, he slowly turned back to where Carrie stood. In the middle of a crater, Carrie appeared to be made of golden light. Her eyes were ablaze in white while her hair stood up above her head, with only her bangs hanging around her face. She walked over to Jack, holding out her hand as an orb of the energy surrounding her appeared in her palm, making his skin itch with static.

 

“I am Kyrin, Master of the Pirates and Captain of the Nautilus.” She said, her voice sounding almost as if it were an ethereal apparition speaking when the glow stopped, returning her to normal. Jack was awestruck, and his skin crawled with adrenalin; he had built a character in Maplestory to a very high level, so he knew what a lot of the abilities looked like in the game. But now he was facing his mother, the master of the Pirate class, and had just witnessed what those attacks looked like in real life!

 

“I get it now. The reason I knew what to do with those guns, why I punched those guys out; it was because…”

 

“Yes, Jack; the blood of a pirate runs through your veins. Had you known other skills, you might have killed them or yourself. You have a power that makes me look weak. The training I gave you in Ohio was child’s play compared to what I will teach you to save our world. But I know that you can do it.” She said, taking the pistol from her hip and laying it in Jacks' hands, still warm from the shots that she had fired.

 

“This Cannon Shooter is yours to wield, as are these Knucklers, the Golden Claw, once you have been trained and are ready. It’ll be a while, but I have faith in you son.” Jack looked over the pistol. Despite its small size, it was deceivingly heavy. He tried holding it up to look down the sights, but even when using both hands, he still had some trouble keeping it up. When he let it lay in his hands again, he felt an ancient power flowing within it, making his hands and arms tingle.

 

“I’ll do it.” He said with a firm look in his eyes, pulling his lips to the side in a sly grin. The thought of becoming a ripped brawler excited him, and that was in addition to the attention he would get for being this ‘guardian’ everyone called him.

 

Matthew’s Choice

 

Matthew’s thoughts were a whirl of trying to make sense of what he had seen over the last couple of days. So many people revered him as someone that, until recently, he was utterly unaware of. Yes, it was flattering, but to have all of this hit him at once was overwhelming.

 

“So, this is what Maple World really looks like huh?” Matthew asked as he and John walked up the main road for a short while before turning to the forest that surrounded it, stopping in a small clearing. John slowly turned around, then set a heavy hand on Matt’s shoulder.

 

“This is not Maple World. This Is Ossyria. The game Maplestory may have made you _familiar_ with the evils of this world, but the evils that _exist_ in this world are far more dangerous than words can describe. For this reason, I have taught you the basics of wielding a sword so that one day, you and your friends will defeat the Black Mage for good.” John said, walking to a nearby tree where a massive sword was propped against the trunk. As he gripped the handle, bright blue vein-like branches appeared down the blade. It screamed with the sound of a marble on glass, allowing him to pick it up with ease. A golden light gathered at the guard, blowing outwards as he pointing the relic sword to the skies.

 

Thick ribbons of frost, flames, lime-green lighting, and golden light tore into existence around the finely honed blade as the threads of lightning arced from the guard to the tip. As John swung the majestic blade, all four elements slid from the blade, hitting four different trees. One was burnt to ashes, the second was frozen solid, the third looked as though it had become sacred, and the fourth’s trunk exploded.

 

John then drove the point of the sword into the ground and folded his hands as though praying. Above him shone a light shaped like a spell circle. A young woman appeared from the circle, placing her hands on John’s shoulders. Threads of lavender light then swirled from his body onto the ground in the shape of another spell circle, where a dragon’s head formed in the center.

 

Matthew was neither prepared for, nor expecting the deafening roar that came from the circle, knocking him down and blowing him across the ground. The soundwave ripped through the trees, tearing leaves from their branches, leaving them nearly bare. Once again, John lifted the sword to the skies as a blue cloud curled around the blade into the air above it. He grunted loudly as he swung the sword down. Before the blade hit the ground, the cloud transformed into a giant gold hammer that hit the ground with a tremendous force, making it shudder for well over 20 seconds after impact. Once the tremors had subsided, Matthew got back to his feet and brushed the leaves from his shirt. John came and stood before Matthew, setting the tip of the sword firmly into the ground at the boy’s feet

 

“I am Dances with Balrog of Perion. I am the Master Warrior of this world. Are you willing to take the task we _all_ ask you to complete? I beg you son, please help us. Within you lies a power that will make even my abilities look small.” Dances said, letting go of the handle, allowing the sword to stand before his son. As Matthew reached to the handle, he felt something strange surge through his arms, as if it were searching for something. He pulled the sword towards him, straining as he tried to catch the weight of the sword to prevent it from slamming into the ground.

 

“That is the weight of the Soul Rohen, the weight of the future set before you. It will be many moons before you are ready to wield this or its companion, the Glory Sword. But given time and rigorous training, you will.” Matthew looked to Dances and then back at the sword resting in his hands. There was no way he would be some great war hero. The immense task his father asked of him weighed on his mind. Disgusted, Matthew let the sword fall to the ground with a loud clang that sounded as if the blade were crying.

 

“You’re saying that I’m supposed to be some hero that will save the world. I’m not buying it. That thing is so heavy that I can’t even lift it up with both of my hands. I froze when we were confronted with four normal humans, and you expect me to save the world?! I couldn’t even keep Helen from getting assaulted; Jack did that!”

 

“But son…”

 

“No! Have you forgotten that I am just a kid in high school?” Matthew walked away before Dances had a chance to speak to him. How could his dad think that Matthew was this formidable warrior? And where the _hell_ did he get those abilities of his? Were they just some kind of illusion? Angrily, Matthew walked on with questions mounting in his head, not noticing that he was walking to the end of a dock until Helen caught him by the arm and stopped him before he stepped off.

 

“Didn’t you hear me calling you?” Helen asked. Matthew sighed heavily and stepped back a bit; He stood on the edge of the dock and scanned over the foggy surface of the water.

 

“I guess your dad told you that you’re the savior of this world too, huh?” Helen asked timidly. Matthew shook his head in disbelief.

 

“What gives them the right to put this on us, on _me_? I had a normal life, one that I was proud to call my own. And now we’ve been taken to some other world where we’re this ‘last hope’ against _the_ Black Mage! Power like that you can’t just defeat.”

 

“I’m no better. I couldn’t even fight off one guy,” Helen added meekly. Matthew closed his eyes as a hollow feeling settling into his chest. He knew she hadn’t fully recovered, and maybe she never would. It weighed on him that he didn’t do a damn thing to help Helen when she needed it the most.

 

“So, you don’t believe in who your parents or relatives are?” asked Aran, slowly walking onto the dock. Helen turned to him with a furrowed brow and shook her head.

 

“No, I don’t. We aren’t who you think we are,” Helen shot back, putting a hand to her chest and motioning to Matthew. Aran looked as though he was hurt by her words and took a breath.

 

“Come… there is something that you both should hear before making up your mind.” He said. Matthew huffed as he angrily followed Aran, followed by a downtrodden Helen. Aran led them across the main road to a small area that appeared to be a council circle with a campfire in the center. When Matthew and Helen saw their families sitting around it, their anger was rekindled. Dark Lord, Olsen, Jenny, Athena, Jack, and Kyrin all sat comfortably on fallen logs. Mark, Yasmin, Greg, and May had awoken and sat within the circle as well. Matthew sat across from his parents while Helen sat next to him, mostly to stay away Grendal, who sat on the other side of the ring with Greg and May. Aran stepped into the center of the circle, setting down his Halberd and began.

 

“Many centuries ago, the ones that created the world of Ossyria were not always so. Minerva The Gentle’s father, D’Gran, was a wealthy human merchant. Her mother, Candala, was a fairy who used to be an attendant to the Queen of Fairies, Una. Their relationship was considered taboo, and so D’Gran helped Candala flee her home of Elphame. The two of them settled in the small mining town of Millvale where Minerva was born with pure white wings on her back. From a young age, Minerva read ravenously, often visiting the library to read any texts and tomes she could find, especially those with a focus on magic. D’Gran often urged Minerva to be a merchant, and while she did excel at the trade, she often dreamed of doing more.

 

“Not long after Minerva was born, Corus Braun was born into a hardworking smithing family. In his teens, he took to working with his father as an apprentice blacksmith. When metalworking was slow, Corus would work on leather with his mother. When neither of the parents needed his help, he would stray to the library, reading texts, tomes, and ancient scrolls that depicted swordplay forms. Some days he would take a practice sword he made and repeat the stances he had seen, dreaming of one day becoming a squire, or even a knight.

 

“This thirst for knowledge led to Minerva and Corus meeting within the quiet halls of the library, becoming fast friends over their shared desire for knowledge. Together, they taught one another what they had learned and soon had memorized every book covering Magic, Fighting, and languages. With the reluctant blessing of their parents, the two of them set out to study abroad, furthering their knowledge and power. Eventually, Minerva and Corus gained enough strength to travel into different dimensions, increasing their vast knowledge exponentially. During their travels, they learned of Black Magic; a power capable of toppling deities but at the expense of the user’s soul. Together, they vowed never to use such power.

 

“Their dimensional travels led them to many strange places, knowledge, and dangers, making their rooted friendship blossom into a deep love for one another. As they traveled the dimensions, they stumbled upon one that appeared to be devoid of life. It was a blank slate, filled with tumultuous seas haunted by funnel clouds and violent windstorms of raw power. Tachyons whipped through the air without purpose, caught in the winds. This place could be formed as they desired, so they decided to create a world of their own with the thousands upon thousands of spells they had learned. As they prepared to leave, Minerva spotted a single white building floating high above them in the inky blackness.

 

“Grabbing Corus’ hand, Minerva spread her massive wings and flew up to the building. As they neared, they could see a woman standing at the railing of the building watching them. The woman introduced herself and the Goddess and Transcendent of Time of the world Olde Sapp, Rhinne. With her help, Corus and Minerva began to remake the world. First, Corus gathered the power permeating the air into five crystals: The Emerald Crystal, the Ruby Crystal, the Pink Quartz, the Amethyst Crystal, and the Dark Crystal. In gathering this mass of power, the sea was calmed, and the dangerous windstorms were silenced. Rhinne gathered the free-floating tachyons within a capsule at the Temple of Time, the building Minerva had seen.

 

“With the storms gone, Minerva and Rhinne formed a massive continent in the depths of the endless oceans they named Ossyria, which Corus then raised. Using the newly formed crystals, a vast forest on the northernmost region of the continent was created that Minerva named Perion and decorated it with flowers and exotic plants. On the eastern side, Corus created a massive pit of what he called Mithril Crystal, a substance adept in channeling magical power to aid them. Just west of that pit, Corus created the winter wonderland of El Nath. On the South-Eastern corner, Minerva planted a huge medicinal herb garden.

 

“In the very center of the continent, Minerva created the city of Ludibrium; a town made of interlocking building blocks and ruled by toys. Here, the capsule stored within the Temple of Time was placed and used to warp time around it. This was to isolate and preserve the innocence of childhood allowing toys to be created for the children that would be born in this world. To the far north, Corus created another landmass with intentions of having people live there one day but decided against it. Though he did tend the acres of exotic fruit trees he had planted there. With the world anchored, Corus and Minerva created one more city. It floated high above El Nath on clouds and served as a city and palace for both Minerva and Corus. They called it Orbis.

 

To the far west, Corus created the Minar Forest. In the center of this forest, Minerva created a pocket dimension and planted the World Maple Tree, the direct link into the Life Stream that would allow this world to remain alive. As this tree was planted, the Spirit of Life, and the Spirit of Light appeared to them. Both spirits told of how this world needed Transcendents: a steward and defender of the world within the bounds of the aspect of reality that has chosen them. Corus was chosen by the Spirit of Light, however the Spirit of Life simply said there was no one present that he could choose. Corus promised that there would be others he could call on once the world was complete which the spirit agreed to.

 

 “Corus then filled the world with animals and creatures of all kinds using the power of the crystals, some familiar, some from pure imagination. Among these creatures were Pandas, a few of which Corus gave sentience and charged them with watching over herb garden called Mu Lung. Minerva then created short fuzzy creatures called Halfrings to guard the Maple World Tree’s pocket entrence. Minerva then created fairies; magical attendants of the forests led by their queen, Ephania. Minerva then created those that would serve their queen. The Papilio sported wings of butterflies to guard Ephenia and the woods. The Nymphs lived within Orbis and flew on great feathered wings, much like Minerva. They prepared magical powders and salves to enrich the soil. And finally, the Sylphs were entrusted with keeping all of Minerva and Corus’ knowledge of magic in a library deep within the forests called Ellin, just south of Perion.

 

“Now that most of the world was complete, Minerva and Corus returned to their home dimension and village where they were married. As a wedding gift, Minerva’s father, D’Gran, gave them a crystal shard called the Rubian, the only remaining shard of something called the Antelleon and would grant its users immense power. Corus and Minerva had heard of the crystal in their studies and its ability to focus magic. However, they also remembered ruinous tales of those that had used it. The two of them happily accepted it, though between them agreeing that it would be locked away somewhere safe once they had returned to Ossyria.

 

“As they prepared to embark onto the new world, many young people went with them, including Minerva’s younger sister, Windharp. They were eager face the dangers, trials, and triumphs that awaited them. Within weeks, the young people that had come set up a small farming village within the forests of Perion and decided to call themselves the Sharenian. The people crowned a ‘king’ to act as their leader, who often sought out Minerva or Corus for advice in developing a system of government, yet still recognized the two of them as their supreme leaders. Minerva and Corus too found their family growing as within a year, Minerva gave birth to twins, a girl named Enia, and a boy named Shar, named in honor of the people within Perion. Of these people, the Spirit of Life chose a girl by the name of Alice Teasdale to be his Transcendent.

 

“With more and more people being born, the small village became a vast metropolis with a magnificent palace having been hewn into the mountains. So many people lived here that some of them moved away from it and into other parts of Ossyria such as El Nath, Mu Lung, a vast desert area left unfinished in the world’s creation, and the forests surrounding Ellin to the south east of the Victoria province. Within these forests, pompous, human-like people called Elves.

 

Minerva and Corus both came to meet these Elves who instantly bowed to them calling Lord Freyr and Lady Freya. Using this mistaken Identity, they learned that these elves had come from a realm called Alfheim when a ritual spell failed. Neither Minerva nor Corus had ever visited a realm of Elves, nor did the Elves know how to return without using something called The Bifrost.

 

To help these newcomers, Minerva helped them build a new city deep within the Ellin Forest called Ellul, defended by a few new creatures created by Corus. He sensed that these Elves would resist any attempt to live peacefully with humans. And so led the humans settling in the forest towards the Secret Library. Here, the town of Ellinia was established, some distance away from where the elves were.

 

“In wanting to help the traveling humans survive, Minerva created a stone building south of Perion in the Henesys Plains. Here, Minerva, Corus, and even Rhinne would sometimes teach magic to any person willing to learn. It was not merely for defense, but also to assist in living in their unfamiliar surroundings.

 

“Within a few decades, those that had initially come to Ossyria passed away, including Shar and Enia, and a new king of the Sharenian was crowned. Those that remained, while still personally friendly with Ossyria’s creators, began to elevate them both into godhood for their state for being seemingly unaffected by the passage of time. Corus and Minerva were at first flattered but firmly reminded everyone they could that Rhinne was the true goddess of Ossyria. Unfortunately, as the years passed, this elevation of Minerva and Corus became more and more prominent and increasingly challenging to dissuade.

 

“Temples and shrines began appearing within each city and village across Ossyria dedicated to Minerva, Corus, Rhinne, or all three. The biggest and most prominent of these was where Minerva used to teach magic, which was converted into a grand sanctuary guarded by stone golems. With no sign of their dissuasion taking root, Corus and Minerva gave up and accepted the role placed upon them. But this made them feel even further separated from the people.

 

“Four hundred years passed; Kings and Queens of Sharenian rose and fell as the empire continued to spread, reaching to the pit of Mithril Crystal Corus had made so long ago. High above even Orbis, Rhinne watched and often visited Minerva and Corus. The memories of how Olde Sapp destroyed itself haunted her mind, especially when the people discovered the Mithril crystal and began to create machines and devices to enhance their magical powers.

 

The world couldn’t be destroyed again thanks to the Pillars of Time; powerful relics made by Rhinne herself. Memories of the people of Olde Sapp creating similar things, prompting Rhinne to warn Minerva and Corus of the similarities. Corus volunteered to mingle among the people and discourage the creation of these machines. But despite Corus’ efforts, the people’s voracious appetite for power only became worse.

 

“When King Sharen III came to power, he learned of the Rubian and began to search for it in earnest. Minerva moved the gem from its hiding spots many times when they came too close to finding it, afraid of what it might do to the king, but eventually, the people found it. It was brought to the palace in Perion, where it was placed in a machine under the castle. The machine began to drain the land of its life and was absorbed by Sharen, who was unwilling to accept that he would one day die and lose his throne. As this happened, Corus would often disappear or tend a fatally injured man having come to them from a portal in the middle of the night. Minerva herself called for and led an army to take back the gem from Sharen. But her forces were met with Sharen’s own regiment of Skeletons and General, a man dressed in black with a skull mask.

 

“The battle was ultimately won, but it was revealed that Corus was the man in black, using what the two of them promised never to use: Black Magic. His use of it changed Corus in many ways, its effects also turned one of Minerva’s wings into a sleek bat’s wing. With no sure way of reversing what had happened to Corus, Minerva sealed him away within a mountain deep within the Minar Forest. Without the Rubian, the Life Energy stolen by Sharen overpowered him and turned him into a living tree we call The Stump King. He became a legend within Perion, only even seen on the highest desert peaks.

 

“After Sharen’s fall, Minerva attempted to lead the people as their queen, but the distance the people had created by elevating her to a goddess made it impossible. And so, Minerva decided that she would fulfill the role of a goddess, watching and protecting her world from afar. To ensure the people would have a proper leader, she searched for the newest child coming from the lineage of either her son Shar or daughter Enia. Unfortunately, Shar’s bloodline had died out, leaving a boy by the name of Tarquin from the bloodline of Enia. This boy became the first Emperor of Ossyria, chosen by Minerva herself.

 

“To secure Ossyria’s leadership, Minerva created the Island of Ereve, a new Palace for the Emperor of Ossyria. To protect the island and the Emperor, she called upon the dragon deity Quetzalcoatl from the Realm of Dragons she had heard of in her dimensional travels. Together they created a formidable yet gentle guardian: The Feather Dragon, Shinsoo. With the leadership of Ossyria secure, Minerva pulled away from the world, watching and protecting together with Rhinne. However, Minerva’s attention was drawn to the landmass Corus created so long ago, finding many dragons who had escaped from the Realm of Dragons because of a massive civil war. Among them were the Dragonesses Ukitaan and Saia. Ukitaan would go on to become the mother of the Nova; Half dragon, half human warriors. With help from both Rhinne and Minerva, Saia honed her powers as The Nine Spirits Dragon.

 

300 years passed in peace until of the empresses forged a bond between herself and Shinsoo, declaring that the binding would be done for all rulers as a symbol of leadership. Minerva had almost forgotten what had become of Corus until rumors began spreading of a man wielding dark power deep within the Nihal Desert.

 

“With each year that passed, the rumors became more frequent and more disturbing. Minerva and the empress ruling at the time, Aria, both searched for clues as to who the man could be. Each lead only produced more questions. Adding to the worry, an organization calling itself the Black Wings began to rise. It members claiming to be followers of a man calling himself The Black Mage. When some of the Black Wings were captured, the only information gathered stated The Black Mage would destroy the world and remake it.

 

“Minerva sent out a call to all Ossyria as its goddess. She asked that any willing person be the vanguard against the Black Mage and his forces to prevent Ossyria’s destruction. Five answered the call, myself included. The biggest surprise of all was that the Elf Queen Mercedes herself answered Minerva’s call. The Elves still held a rather high disdain for humans even after so many years had passed. All five of us were trained by Minerva and became The Heroes of Ossyria.

 

“Despite our training, however, we were ultimately unprepared when The Mage attacked in full force. The Black Wings and it Generals attacked all of Ossyria at once, while The Mage and a select few attacked the Temple of Time.” Taking a moment to breathe, Aran looked over to Athena, memories of seeing her as a late teenager. Once he had a drink of water, he continued with his tale.

 

“Athena here was the first to begin evacuating the people living within the Minar Forest to the north, The Victoria Province, the same province where the Sharenian capital of Perion was located. When Minerva learned of Athena’s efforts, she assisted in gathering everyone into the region, then separated it from the continent. Minerva tried to contact Rhinne for assistance with the separation, but all her calls went unanswered. Using all her strength, Minerva sent the province drifting on the waters, far away from The Minar Forest and the Black Mage with we Heroes to ensure the people’s safety. Once she was sure it was out of The Mage’s reach, she scattered the Five Crystals across Ossyria. She was about to hurl the Rubian in a random direction when we saw The Mage run Minerva through, using a sword made of his dark power.

 

“We hereos returned to the mainland to find any remaining refugees, but mostly to find Minerva. Instead, we found four people telling us they were unable to save Minerva, but that she left a message saying that The Mage was Corus after Rhinne’s power. To what end was still unknown. When we asked them about the Rubian, they said that there was no such gem with Minerva. We could only assume that The Mage had taken the Rubian and went to face him in the Temple of Time. It seemed we were able to stop before he was able to take Rhinne’s power.

 

However, outright killing him was beyond our ability. Instead, we sealed him away. For some odd reason, our seal put him in the very center of Victoria Island, the same Island we were trying to protect. But, The Mage cast one final curse, sealing us within ice. Only recently was I found by my wife Lilin, who helped me regain my strength.” Aran glanced towards Athena and nodded, cueing her to stand and take his place in telling the tale. Looking around at the people gathered, she knew there was so much more to say to them. In time, when it was needed, it would be revealed. Nodding to Aran one more time, Athena let her mind drift back into the past.

 

“Once the Black Mage’s defeat was assured, The Black Wings became near extinct. Any trace of them appeared to be erased. One of the Black Wing’s generals had assassinated the Empress Aria, and there were still unknown dangers within Victoria left over from the days of Sharen III. Chief among them was the Fairy Queen, Ephania, whose mind had been poisoned into believing that all humans were evil. She and the Papilio spread thick clouds of poison throughout the Ellin Forest. Had it not been for the help and five young people coming to our aid from seemingly nowhere, we would have never survived. She remains sealed within that forest to this day.

 

“With careful planning, we managed to make a living for ourselves on Victoria, spreading to all corners of the island and beyond. It would be another six hundred years before I met Dances with Balrog, Grendal the Ancient, Dark Lord Jin, and Captain Kyrin.” For a moment, Athena paused, her gaze lingering on Kyrin for a while, nostalgia and a bit of sadness in her eyes. Shaking her head, Athena centered herself and continued.

 

“Together, we faced many ferocious creatures who attempted to rule or destroy Ossyria in the Black Mage’s absence. To aid us, we found the Five Crystals and absorbed their power. We were graced with the assistance of a Gunslinger named Jett and two warriors from a race known as the Nova for a time. With each creature we defeated, rumors and sightings of The Black Wings began to surface. It was slow at first but gained momentum and validity with each passing day. The newly crowned Empress Cygnus’s soldiers captured one of them, interrogating him thoroughly.

 

“This disciple revealed that The Black Mage _would_ return from his sealed slumber and that the interim leader if the Wings, Eleanor, was in search of the Five Crystals for her master, The Black Mage. When this was revealed to us, I explained to the other masters about what the crystals were and how they were used from stories and legends. We decided then that removing them from the world would be the best option. We entrusted the Dark Crystal to Cygnus and her Chief Knights to hide it, while we took the power of the other for crystals into another world to protect them. Grendal, in his meticulous research, found that the crystals’ powers would diminish over time if they were not used. In many ways, their energy could almost be considered alive. For this reason, we intended to come to Earth to both Hide the crystals and hopefully make them dissipate out of existence.

 

“Eleanor came close to stopping our leaving this world when she and a massive force of Black Wings descended on Ereve. We barely escaped the attack, going through a portal Grendal had made using magic he found in the Ellin Forest. Unfortunately, his understanding of the magic separated him from the rest of us through time. But by using a small bit of Magic and the power of the Amethyst Crystal, he managed to reverse his aging and remained alive long enough to find us again after one hundred years.

 

“Now in a new world, Grendal taught us as much as he could so that we would be able to at least function. However, when it came time to decide how to tell you, our children, of where you came from, we all realized that would be much harder. The powers and magic that exist in Ossyria are nothing but fantasy in that world. It was then we discovered a gaming company seeking a story to pair with their game, and so we told them our story. That game was Maplestory. And now, the Black Mage has risen. He still seeks the crystal’s power, the same that resides within you. But without continued use, their power has faded considerably. If the Ruby Crystal within Jack had been at its full strength, it would have torn his body apart.” Matthew stood from his seat and walked closer to the fire, throwing his arm to the side and leaning into his step.

 

“Then why would you bring us back here? If the crystals are the thing The Black Mage is after, why not stay back in Ohio?” he asked. Athena sighed, staring down into the fire, realizing how cool it had become as evening set in.

 

“Bringing you back is the only way we have to stop The Black Mage. Ossyria can muster enough strength to possibly end the Black Wings, but The Mage himself is another matter entirely. Don’t forget that it took everything the five Heroes of Ossyria had to merely seal him. That seal was lost to time when Freud died, and The Mage will not stop until he sees Ossyria in ashes. You five, the Guardians of Ossyria, were born with the crystal’s power within you. It is a part of you. We masters have aged, and can no longer control the crystals. So please, will you five help us to stop the Black Mage once and for all?” Athena finished. Matthew once again took his seat, while everyone sat in silence. It was a long and sad history of this world. Helen’s thoughts were interrupted when she felt a small hand grasp hers. The child’s wide eyes made Helen feel guilty for refusing to help this world.

 

“You’re gonna stop that bad man, aren’t you?” she asked. Helen bit her lower lip and tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. Looking at Matthew, he too had an unsure look on his face before huffing leaving the circle. Helen walked back to the secluded dock with him and looked out to the warm colored sunset.

 

“What are we going to do now?” Helen asked.

 

“I don’t know. That story is just so close to the game’s storyline that I’m not sure if I believe them. Some of what they said doesn’t even exist within the game. I still don’t think I’d be able to accept being one of this world’s saviors. I want to help, but I don’t think I have what it takes.”

 

“You must accept it.” said a female voice. Helen and Matthew jumped, turning to see who it was that spoke. Sitting on the dock was a young woman with long white hair and light blue eyes, while a halberd similar to Aran’s lay beside her. Hugging her chest was a green vest held with leather laces and didn’t completely close in the front. Tassets hung low around her hips, while decorative metal crest held the two sides together just above her leather pants. A knee-length half skirt was tucked under the tassets, with armored stockings held up by clips made of chainmail.

 

“And who are you?” Matthew asked. The girl turned to him and stared as if looking through him.

 

“My name is Lillianne. I am the daughter of Aran and Lilin, who married once my father regained all of his memories and strength. I was born 2 years after your parents left this world for yours.” She answered shortly before turning her studying gaze to Helen.

 

“So, what is your opinion in all of this?” Helen asked with a chill in her voice. Lillianne turned back to the sunset and pulled one of her lean legs up to her chest.

 

“In all honesty, I am disappointed in you two. You’re supposed to be this world’s last hope, the Guardians, and yet you won’t even consider helping us?” Matthew clenched his fist hard.

 

“Guardians this, savior that! I’ve heard those terms so many times that I’m getting sick of it!” Matthew roared. Lillianne shook her head slowly, thinking for a moment before speaking.

 

“There was a prophecy given to the Heroes before separating Victoria. Minerva visited a woman known as Carta the Sea Witch, who was known for being able to see the future. It says:

 

‘Those that lead the weak shall leave for a time, to protect and hide the Ancient Powers forged by gentle goddess. Five children shall be the sword to cut evil asunder and deal a mighty blow. But they that led the weak must be vigilant, so when the time is near, those blessed with the power will show itself as a sign that the final battle is nearing fruition.’” Matthew and Helen both sighed heavily, upset they had such a heavy weight dropped onto their shoulders. Life in Ohio was so much more straightforward, even if they felt like they were meant for something greater while they were there.

 

“Then tell me this: If you were yanked from the place you had known all your life, then thrown into a world you had no knowledge of, asking you to stop their most powerful adversary because you’re their ‘last hope’, would you just accept it?” asked Helen.

 

“Of course, I would.” She answered.

 

“Even if something happened that made you seriously doubt that you were up to the task?” Matthew pressed. Again, Lillianne nodded, looking to him as he threw his hands up and walked in a circle.

 

“Yes, Of course, _you_ would. Because your father is the oldest warrior in this entire world, who trained you to be what you are.” He answered sarcastically.

 

“Isn’t that what your parents did?” Lillianne asked in return. Helen and Matthew stayed silent for a while as they thought back over the 18 years of ‘normal’ life they had lived.

 

“We were given, ‘basic’ training,” Helen answered. Lillianne chuckled to herself, turning away quickly and burying her cheeks in the crook of her arm when she caught a glimpse of Matthew.

 

“I’m in no position to tell you what to do, but please help us. Enough life has been lost because of this monster. Help us by stopping him once and for all.” Lillianne got up and walked away into the heavy mist that settled over the village, leaving the two of them with their thoughts, hoping that they would accept. Once she lost sight of them, Lillianne took a breath and calmed herself, unexpectedly feeling attracted to Matthew. It brought a smile to her face, but silently she scolded herself.

 

“ _Remember Lillianne, they are the promised ones; don’t get your hopes up just yet._ ”

 

* * *

 

The Mage gritted his teeth and then relaxed as he thought of the one thing that would be the downfall of those warriors. Eleanor came up behind him dressed in a wine-red silk robe which clung to her body like a tight-fitting dress. She noticed what had happened in the Mage’s Crystal Ball, feeling the tension in his shoulders.

 

“Calm yourself, Master. It’s merely the shock of being torn from their world and placed into a new world that expects so much from them.” She soothed. Disturbed, hissing whispers filled the air around them making Eleanor smile with dark radiance.

 

“Yes, they may descend from her bloodline, but that is no reason to blame _them_. Besides, they’re human. Eventually, they will come to terms with their situation and let themselves be used like the tools they are to help _you_ , not Ossyria.” Eleanor smiled, her glossy red lips spreading to reveal white teeth below. The Mage nodded thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes as he thought.

 

“The Knights of the Empress and the young Dragon Master Evan should be finishing with the last wave of Skelegons I sent out earlier; we shouldn’t have to worry about them for a while,” she added. Again, The Mage nodded his head, calling up the image of the battlefield in his crystal ball. Indeed, thousands of skull fragments and hundreds of Skelegon bodies lay strewn everywhere. His eyes narrowed, looking as though he were smiling as the image faded. Eleanor turned her attention to The Mage when whispers filled the air, inquiring of a project that she had been given.

 

“Just a bit longer, and he will be ready for service,” Eleanor replied wistfully, sighing as she made herself comfortable on his chair’s arm. The Mage thrummed the spittle in the back of his throat approvingly, dancing the Dark Crystal over his fingers like a coin, watching the energy within swirl each time it stopped. Raising his eyes to the horizon, he breathed slowly as aura fizzled from his shoulders: he would show Minerva what she was lacking, and these children were just the tool to do so.


	5. Training

Chapter 5: Training

 

The night left many things to ponder: what lay ahead of them? Would they ever be able to return to Ohio? Would any of them die? Would they be able to even stop the Black Mage? Would they be able to handle smaller related responsibilities? Dozens of children and pleading adults thanked them in advance as they wandered the camp before turning in. Salvation from the tyranny of the Black Mage was in sight, and it gave them hope to no longer be afraid.

 

Jack and Olsen seemed the least affected by the trust afforded to them, using it as a motivation to be better. Jenny thought of when Stumpy grabbed her and began to squeeze her, shivering as she remembered the crushing grip she had been caught in. It could have been easily prevented, but at the same time, her mother Athena showed her how to never let it happen to her or anyone else again.

 

Meanwhile, Matthew and Helen were especially conflicted. Matthew couldn’t accept his failure to help Helen in her time of need. He had always seen himself as the noble warrior that would come to anyone’s aid, and he often vicariously emulated that ideal by helping some of his classmates in Ohio. But letting down Helen by only standing by and being unable to do anything against Stumpy made him question his belief in that code.

 

Helen cursed herself, even blamed herself for letting someone touch her in such a manner when it could have been so easily prevented. She had always been a straight-A student, evident in her eligibility for Summa Cum Laude in next year’s graduation. So many things had happened so quickly after her assault that it prevented her time to process. Jenny being nearby as someone she could speak to was a great help during the past two days, but it still couldn’t erase the feeling of that man’s hands on her, and now she was taken to another world and asked to be its savior. Why should _she_ be the one to do something like that? Why should she be asked to protect an entire world when she couldn’t even defend herself? When the next morning came, Matthew and Helen could barely walk straight, staggering into the large eating area just south of the ‘Tent Suberb,’ as it had been dubbed.

 

“What happened to you two? You look like you’ve been run over by a truck.” Jenny commented to Matthew and Helen as she bit into a giant peach. As they both sat down, Jack and Olsen chuckled when Helen slumped over onto an arm, and Matthew dropped his head to the table.

 

“I couldn’t sleep; too many things running through my head,” Matthew replied, picking up a peach and biting into it. Helen reached for one but dropped it in surprise when Aran sat down next to her, while his wife Lilin, and daughter Lillianne, sat across from him.

 

“I could ask how you all slept, but just by looking at you all I can tell that Helen and Matthew didn’t get any sleep,” Aran said, peeling the skin from a juicy peach, and slurped up the juice as he bit into it.

 

“Well aren’t you the clever detective,” Helen muttered, despite wanting to just lay her head down and fall asleep, sluggishly reaching for the peach again. Her other hand reached into her pocket and pulled out her dead phone, only to stare at the blank black screen.

 

“Have you given any more thought to what I told you two last night?” asked Lillianne from a table behind them. Helen and Matthew sighed before Matthew offered his reply.

 

“It was all I could think about,” Matthew mumbled, a yawn stopping him from biting into his peach.

 

“Will you help us?” Lilin asked with hopeful blue eyes. An odd silence fell over the group as Helen and Matthew became the center of attention. Aran broke the silence with a firm tone of voice.

 

“You must decide by mid-morning. Shanks will be piloting his ship to Victoria, where you will begin your training. I will not force you into this. Though without you, the Black Mage’s rule may never come to an end.” Olsen raised an eyebrow.

 

“Victoria? Wasn’t it evacuated because The Mage was being resurrected? And what’s the rush?” he asked. Grendal chuckled as he sat down next to Matthew and answered.

 

“It was. And The Mage’s resurrection left the island in quite the unsafe state for most normal people. If we could replicate what exists in Victoria, we would. But that requires magic beyond what we can perform. As for the urgency, The Black Wings seem to have reduced their presence on the island. There is no telling when that will no longer be the case.”

 

“And what would that be?” Helen asked, biting into her peach. Athena took a drink to clear her throat and answered.

 

“On the Island of Victoria, special training grounds exist in each city that aid new adventurers in training. These grounds have been created over the years by applying spells to the grounds, shaping them into what they are. If they were to be recreated, only someone with power equal to Minerva’s could successfully do so.”

 

“So, what? We gotta go to Victoria to train there? Why can’t we train here where it’s safer?” Jack asked, talking over a mouthful of bread in his mouth. Kyrin nudged him with her elbow before answering.

 

“You could train here, but none of you know how to use Mana. The training grounds are specially designed to help you learn to use mana. You can try using mana here, but I doubt it.” She laughed. Jack stared at his hand, thinking back to when he beat up the thugs at the docks. If he could just remember how it felt, it might be a clue to controlling Mana. Kyrin smiled and put a hand on his shoulder.

 

“I wouldn’t recommend trying to do that right now. The only thing you’ve felt is the power of the Ruby Crystal. Without any basic knowledge of mana control, you just might burn out your life force.” Jack immediately put his hand down.

 

“Are you just going to send us there?” Jenny asked. Athena shook her head.

 

“No, Jenny. We will be going with you. While we are there, we, Chief Knight Oz, and Chief Knight Irena will be investigating the Sleeping Wood where The Mage rose from.  Yasmin, Mark, Gregory, and May will stay here for the time being. There are dangers on Victoria that you would be able to handle, but not them. And we can only fight off so much.” She answered. An awkward silence hung over them for the rest of the meal. Matthew was the first to finish and walk back to his hut.

 

He paced heatedly, trying to reason within himself what was expected of him. He wanted to make himself see that he _could_ be what Ossyria needed. On the one hand, the weight of the world was rested on his shoulders, and it was his ‘responsibility’ to save this world. On the other hand, he was just a kid from Ohio with good grades and occasionally spent his afternoons alone. He battled with himself for nearly an hour on whether or not he would be the hero everyone wanted him to be. Helen came in and leaned against the door jam, crossing her arms and chuckling as she watched him pace.

 

“This isn’t like you, Matt.” She finally said, startling Matthew out of his thoughts.

 

“What do you mean?” Matthew asked, sitting down on his cot to catch his breath and calm himself after Helen startled him.

 

“Normally, when you’re presented with a challenge, you do it without so much as a thought to the consequences or benefits. But right now you’re just driving yourself insane.” Matthew laughed and motioned back to her.

 

“Did you have a change of heart or something? Weren’t you trying to resist this harder than me?”

 

“I was; but I thought about what Lillianne said, about how enough life has been lost. There must have been a lot of people that were killed during the evacuation, and there might be more. I don’t think there are droves of people here ready to fight off such a powerful foe as The Black Mage like the game.”

 

“Are you saying we should jump into something that could very well be extremely dangerous, not to mention deadly, just because we are the one who can defeat the Black Mage?” Matthew asked, crossing his arms.

 

“Each one of us has one parent who is an _actual_ master, and they are going to _train_ us. Yes, it may be deadly, but I doubt they would ask us to do something that we can’t do. And yes, being ‘the only heroes to stop the bad guy’ is a bit cliché, but it’s our reality now.”

 

“So you actually believe what they told you?” Matthew asked, standing and walking over to her.

 

“Not completely, but it does explain for me all the weird things that our folks can do. And I bet it explains what your dad can do too. What’s holding you back?” Helen asked, following after Matthew as he walked to a cliff near his hut overlooking all of the tents and cabins of the camp’s residents.

 

“I am having trouble with being this person that everyone thinks is their savior. I’m an average person who has been asked to defend an entire world and its people from being destroyed. I don’t want that kind of power! I’m not some awesome hero slash god from another world.” Matthew shouted, running his fingers through his hair in a frustrated rage as he walked to the wall of his hut and leaned against it. Helen placed an understanding hand on his shoulder and sighed in solidarity.

 

“Look, I get it. We might fail, but we need to try.”

 

* * *

 

“Shanks, get the engines ready. We are leaving without them.” Aran said sternly, turning and walking up the gangplank while Grendal tried to persuade him otherwise.

 

“Aran, please just wait a bit longer. I’m sure that…”

 

“Grendal, we’ve waited long enough. Eckhart and his knights have found that the activity of the Black Wings is at an all-time low. If we don’t go now, they may increase their troops, and we won’t get another chance.”

 

“Just give it another five minutes! Matthew’s mom is looking for them.” Jenny said, standing in Aran’s way.

 

“Jenny, you sent Yasmin to search for them over forty minutes ago, and she hasn’t returned with them yet. We are already well past the time I told you all we were leaving, and each minute we wait could mean that our luck will fail. Cast off when you’re ready Shanks!” Aran called over Jenny’s shoulder. Shanks nodded, pulling levers next to the helm to raise the anchors and unfurl the sails. Slowly and sadly, the _Queen’s Wing_ was pushed away by the dock hands and set afloat in the bay of the Mu Lung province. The sails pushed out as the light winds caught them, driving the large galleon into motion. Matthew and Helen arrived at the end of the dock just as the ship had turned around and was headed towards its launching point.

 

“WAIT!  WAIT FOR US!!” But the ship was already too far away for them to be heard. Helen backed up a few steps, ready to begin sprinting.

 

“What are you up to?” Matthew asked, noticing the determined light in her eyes.

 

“A wise person once said ‘if your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to it.’” She said as she jumped into the ice-cold water and began swimming after the ship. Matthew huffed and jumped in after her, pushing his arms and legs as hard as he could to try and catch the accelerating galleon. From behind them, Jenny thought she had heard splashing and looked back to see Matthew and Helen swimming.

 

“Aran! They’re coming! We left too soon!” Jenny called, pointing back to show Aran who ran to the side of the ship.

 

“Shanks we need to stop and get those two aboard,” Aran commanded, running up to the helm at the back of the ship.

 

“I’m sorry, but if we stop now, we won’t have enough speed to get into the air,” Shanks replied. Athena bit her lip as she thought, then ran below deck and returned with a light rope in hand. She tied one end to an arrow, firing it into the water behind Matthew.

 

“GRAB THE ROPE!” called Dances as he tied the rope to the railing behind the helm. Helen quickly grabbed the line as is slid past her. Matthew couldn’t find it as it had sunk just out of his reach. When he finally did find it, it was too far away to grab.

 

From below the water, turbines slid out of the hull and above the water, flames igniting within the housing, heaving into motion the large propellers at their backs. Matthew tried even harder to grab the end, flailing against the winds of the turbines that tried to push him back. Helen was soon brought aboard and quickly turned around to cheer Matthew while a towel was draped over her shoulders.

 

“We’re almost at full power,” Shanks called as he flipped switches to fold back the sails and to activate levistone heaters while large canvas wings unfurled on the bow. Jack looked to the Helm console where he saw a countdown with only a few seconds remaining.

 

“C’MON, MAN! YOU CAN MAKE IT!” Jack hollered. Matthew made one giant effort in reaching for the last few feet of the rope. All at once the turbines kicked in, knocking everyone into the railing or to the deck, speeding them along the last few hundred feet of water, over a waterfall and into the air. Shanks made a few adjustments and guided the ship into the clouds.

 

“What he able to grab hold?” Athena asked, getting up with a hand from Dances. Aran could only shrug; no one had really seen whether or not Matthew grabbed the rope. Now they were too far away to see if Matthew was still in their wake. Olsen hung his head as he leaned against the railing.

 

“He was so close too.” He said disappointedly, following everyone down the stairs from the helm to and into the hold. It would be a good few hours before Victoria was in sight. Before descending the stairs, Olsen stopped, listening to something that he thought he heard. Jin turned back and motioned for him to follow.

 

“Olsen, come, we must get below deck…”

 

“Shh…” Olsen cut Jin off, running back to where the rope was tied on. As he looked down, he thought the line was pulled tight while something swung from it. Olsen thought he heard a faint voice calling out from somewhere in the clouds.

 

“Hey! Heeeeeeyy! Anyone there!?” it called out. As they cleared the clouds, they could all see Matthew hanging on the rope for all he was worth. Olsen called over Dances and Jack as the three of them hauled Matthew up. Matthew was greeted by everyone before given a towel despite being sopping wet.

 

“You are, indeed, a warrior. Only the son of Dances with Balrog would attempt something as foolish as this.” Jin said sternly. Matthew tried many times to speak, only to have his words be lost in a multitude of pants.

 

“You lot should go below deck to get warmth and rest. It’ll be a few hours before we clear the Nihal desert and even more time before we clear Ludibrum.” Shanks said, speaking mainly to Helen and Matthew, who both accepted the offer with gratitude. Jin and Athena hung up hammocks for the two of them which Helen and Matthew crawled into and promptly began falling asleep.

 

“Can you believe it? We’re headed to the _actual_ Victoria Island!” Jenny said, realizing she might have said it a bit too loudly.

 

“I know! I want to go see is Pig Beach really exists.” Jack answered. Olsen propped himself up within the crook of a couple boxes and reclined against them.

 

“I want to know if the Secret Garden really exists.” Jack raised his eyebrow and looked over to him.

 

“Secret Garden?”

 

“Yes, it’s supposed to be the starting grounds for the upcoming Dual Blade coming out in a couple months,” Olsen said proudly.

 

“How did you get a look at it if it isn’t out yet?” Jenny asked, remembering she had seen some promotional videos for it, but nothing beyond that.

 

“It was on video I saw that was showing it off in the Korean version.”

 

“But if it’s a ‘secret’ garden, doesn’t that mean it’s supposed to be a secret?” Jack asked.

 

“Secret or not, I just want to know if it’s real.” Olsen chuckled, as the three of them quietly talked while Athena and Jin headed further back in the hold to the makeshift conference room. As they neared, Jin grabbed Athena’s arm hard and stopped her firmly mid-stride.

 

“Athena, you do know that you won’t be able to help them as much if they are going to be the strong warriors we need them to be. They will never learn if we hold their hand the entire way,” Jin firmly said to her. Athena nodded.

 

“The Guardians won’t survive if we don’t until they can stand on their own. I know how much you want to ask of them, but survival training is something they have not been taught as of yet, at least, to survive in Ossyria. They have only been here for a few days, Jin, give them time to learn and adjust. It was years before even you were half the ninja you are today.” She answered, but Dark Lord Jin shook his head.

 

“I was not born with power created by Minerva. Just in coming back to our world, the crystals are beginning to regain their power, making them more of a target. They all need to learn how to tap into that power and use it for themselves to stop the Black Mage.”

 

“That will come with time, Jin. For now, they need our guidance in learning the basic forms of Mana Manipulation. Without it, they could kill themselves.” Jin released Athena and silently stomped back to the conference room. Matthew listened quietly as he slowly fell asleep: yes, he was worried about what lay ahead of him, but he was far too tired to care.

 

* * *

 

The Mage was looking into his crystal ball as the little group was making its way to the since abandoned Victoria: so predictable. They couldn’t find another way to teach without being dangerous. Under the leadership of Eleanor, the Black Witch, the Black Wings had been searching vigorously for any hints as to the location of the original founder of the Black Wings, Orca. Nearly a thousand years had passed, so her suspended animation sarcophagus could be anywhere.

 

Initially, The Black Mage intended to seek out his Ephenia, the Fairy Queen whom he had seduced into following him, turning her and the papillio against Minerva. But as he neared her forest palace of vines and flowers, he found it to be blocked off by an unusually powerful barrier. Not even his Black Magic was able to penetrate it. Upon studying the magic, he discovered that it had been erected not long after his sealing by Minerva’s Heroes, but its makeup was of modern design.

 

It was strange that modern magic had been in the past, but that was of little consequence. The gathering of his old generals would be a priority. Orca had been the one to design the sarcophagus for all the generals as a backup plan, and she was the only one that knew where the others were hidden all over Ossyria. However, General Von Leon might be harder to find as his castle had disappeared shortly before The Mage’s assault on the Temple of Time.

 

And then there was the matter of the Crystal Husks. Eleanor and her pet Wyverns were searching all of Ossyria for them, but as of yet, their locations remained a mystery. It would take time, but that would be time for these Guardians to retrain the power of the Crystals.

 

* * *

 

_Matthew found himself walking along a long path, lined with people that he didn’t recognize, each one reaching out, begging for release and assurance. At the end stood a man dressed in tattered black robes. He, Jenny, Olsen, Helen, Jack, and a girl Matthew didn’t recognize were all racing towards this man in unison. But it didn’t seem like enough._

_Power of differing colors began flowing from around the five of them, but the girl doubled over in pain. Matthew went to see if she were alright, but she forced herself back to her feet and fought with them. All six of them attacked, this time hitting harder than before. The man in black reeled as he tried to deflect the attacks, but some of them were too heavy and landed their mark._

_As they fought, the girl stopped and spit up blood. Matthew went to her, but she insisted that she was alright and that they should keep fighting. He continued to fight the man in black but felt worried when the power surrounding the girl changed from grey smoke to pale green light. Matthew also noticed that their attacks became weaker._

_Looking back to the girl, he noted that blood was running from her eyes, nose, and mouth. He called out her name, but again, she rallied her strength and stood to fight. The man in black appeared to be weak and mustered all their remaining power into the one blow. Light erupted as the attack connected, sound waves ripping through the air and demolishing all within the room._

_When at least the light subsided, Matthew ran to the girl, catching her just as she was collapsing. Blood soaked his gauntlets from a wound in her side. He called for Helen to heal her, but Helen shook her head. With the last bit of life in her, the girl reached up and caressed Matthew’s cheek. It looked as though she were desperately trying to say something. But her massive strength failed and she slowly, painfully fell limp_ when a sudden jolt made Matthew spill out of the hammock onto the floor of the ship’s hold.

 

“Ow, my head…” he mumbled, rubbing his forehead. As he opened his eyes, he noted they were sore and wet. Had he been crying? Why was he crying? Did that girl in the dream mean something to him? As he stood back up, he noted that his whole body and steps felt light and the floor had a slant to it, as if the ship were descending. Once he found his footing, Matthew made his way back up to the deck and was immediately swathed in damp clouds where he was greeted by Jack.

 

“Hey, you’re up. You alright man? You were crying pretty hard back there.” Matthew wiped his eyes again, wiping the last remaining tears.

 

“I think so. I had this really vivid dream, and someone I really cared about died.”

 

“That’s intense. Was it your mom?”

 

“No, it wasn’t her. It was some other girl I didn’t recognize, but we were close. Like, _really_ close.” Jack chuckled and shrugged.

 

“Heh, well that’s dreams for ya. I had a dream that I was fighting off a giant green apple.” Matthew snorted and burst out laughing.

 

“An apple? Really?”

 

“Yeah man, it was no joke.” The two of them laughed about it for a while until the ship burst from the cloud cover, revealing an island amid a dark sapphire sea.

 

“There it is, Guardians, The Island of Victoria,” Aran announced. Matthew’s breath caught in his throat as what lay before him was not the idyllic island from Maplestory. Instead, it looked like a warzone, even from their great distance. In the center of the island, a massive black chasm spread its ashen blight over the island, causing it to appear dead.

 

“What happened?” Helen asked in a breathy voice. Aran’s brow pursed and his jaw clenched.

 

“This is what the Black Mage’s unsealing left behind.” He growled, remaining silent for a while, speaking again in a commanding voice.

 

“Be on your guard and follow the instructions of your parents. The island may be deserted by its people, but the Black Wings still operate here. Your training will help, but if you encounter any Black Wings, retreat to your masters as fast as you can. Even as you are now, you stand no chance against them,” He said, turning to Shanks and nodding to him, making the decent become faster.

 

“So, are you like, going back to Herb Town or something?” Jenny asked.

 

“No, Chief Knights Eckhart and Oz will be joining me to investigate the site where The Black Mage rose from. It may hold some clues as to how he was released.” Another hour passed before Shanks brought the ship down through a mass of trees. Ash and dust billowed everywhere until the turbines began to spin down. Once the dust had settled, they saw a broad, wooden path leading to the side of the ship, which rested on a platform further down. Jin was the first to disembark, motioning for the others to follow through a tunnel that led through a massive tree trunk.

 

The Five blew past Jin, stopping on the other side of the tree, staring in awe at the sight that was before them. Trees as tall as skyscrapers reached to the sky with leaves as big as cars. Drops of dew as big as baseballs hung the tips of the leaves.

 

“It’s beautiful,” Jenny whispered, taking in the whole scene before her.

 

“This is nothing like the game. This is so much bigger,” Jack commented before catching sight of a house near the tops of the trees.

 

“Hey, isn’t that…”

 

“Yes, Jack, that’s my house,” Grendal answered, hovering over the branches up to the front door.

 

“I still can’t quite wrap my head around your grandfather being _the_ Grendal,” Jenny said with a chuckle as they walked over to a bridge made of vines and planks, following them to where Grendal stood, holding his hand against the door of the building.

 

“This place used to be so alive,” he whispered, only loud enough for Helen to hear as the others wound their way up to the building.

 

“Since the Fairies left, well, there hasn’t been much life in this place,” He said sadly as he pushed the door open to reveal his study and home, teaching many a traveler the ways of magic. The rest of the group filed into the small house, looking around in wonder at the dusty room filled with books until Aran brought their attention back to the task at hand.

 

“I know that all of this must be overwhelming, but you must all go your separate ways. Grendal and Helen will stay here in the east forest of Ellinia. Dances with Balrog, Kyrin, Jack, and Matthew shall go the Northern hills of Perion. Dark Lord and Olsen shall go to the west alleys of Kerning City. Finally, Athena and Jenny shall go to the southern plains of Henesys. You masters have been allotted two months to train. During that time, there will be some instances where your masters will come with me to investigate happenings around the island. Are there any questions?” he asked. Jack raised his hand slowly.

 

“Yes, Lord Jack.”

 

“Who’s back in Mu Lung guarding everyone if everyone is here?”

 

“That doesn’t need to be a worry of yours. Evan, Lillianne, and the remaining Empress Cygnus’ Knights are there to ensure the safety of everyone there. Are there any other questions?” Everyone seemed to be satisfied with the information given to them, so Aran drew eight glowing blue stones from his vest, handing one to each of the masters.

 

“We shall convene in two months then: train hard, Guardians of Ossyria!” Each of the masters grabbed onto their children and shot into thin air right before Helen’s eyes.

 

 

Helen Begins:

 

As her friends vanished before her eyes, Grendal and Aran bid their farewells, before her grandfather turned to her and sighed.

 

“Right then: We should get your training started. You even get to wear special clothing!” called Grendal, leading her into a back room where he searched through trunks, boxes, and even the drawers in his bedroom.

 

“Are the clothes in Ossyria like the ones in the game?” Helen squealed, shortly after Grendal returned from his searching with dust all over his white robe.

 

“Yes and no. Here, clothes and armor still help in amplifying your power, but not in the same way as the game portrays.” He said as he searched. Helen helped in the search, at the same time imagining herself wearing a Red Calaf robe. It was something she had wanted to make and dress in for Halloween that year. As she searched, Helen saw two old glass cases with no doubt something ancient and valuable inside. The glass was covered in so much dust that no one could see through it any longer.

 

“Hey Grampa, what are those cases up there?” she asked. Grendal followed where she pointed and smiled.  One of the cases levitated from its perch with a wave of his hand to where Helen stood. Helen grabbed a cloth and wiped away the dust from the glass, revealing a backless dress as black as a raven’s feather that secured around the neck. The light shining through the windows made it glisten with a gold sheen as though it were polished onyx. A gold belt hung low around the waist while silken gold half sleeves hung on either side of it.

 

“Whose dress was this?” Helen asked as she wiped more and more dust from the case, revealing the other accessories within.

 

“This dress is the only one of its kind. As of yet, there has been no one to wear the prized Onyx Empress Requiem. If you train with all your heart, you may one day wear such a garment.” Helen’s awe was only broken when Grendal held a bland looking sleeveless shirt and long skirt to her.

 

“What are these?” Helen asked with raised eyebrows and questioning eyes while taking the scratchy woolen clothes.

 

“These are your training clothes. Once you have completed your training, you will be awarded this.” Grendal pulled back a curtain to reveal a free-flowing top and skirt in lovely lavender and purple colors. The tube top flowed into loose-fitting, sheer sleeves. The knee length skirt was made of the same material as the sleeves, with an apron-like fabric hanging from the waist under the skirt. She then looked back at the drab clothes Grendal had given her and sighed.

 

“Can’t I just wear that?” she asked, pointing to the black dress. Grendal slowly shook his head.

 

“That dress contains ancient power, which would overwhelm you just by touching it. For now, you will wear these. All great magicians, myself included, wore something just like those clothes you’re holding,” Grendal said. Sighing disappointedly, Helen went into the back room to change, feeling rather conspicuous since the top was a tad too big and the skirt fit too snugly. The shoes she was given to wear were anything but glamorous, not to mention the pointed hat she was also given to wear was lopsided. When she came out, she carried her old clothes with her, holding her phone in her hand.

 

“Ah, there you are, and those clothes don’t fit right at all.” With a snap of his fingers, the outfit was adjusted to her frame with magical ease.

 

“Now then, off to the training grounds!” Grendal said with a smile, ready to step out the door.

 

“Where should I put these? Don’t tell me you’re going to throw them away!” Helen asked, motioning to her old clothes, feeling that she was leaving a large part of her life behind. Grendal stopped and looked back at the neatly folded pile in her arms.

 

“Throw them out? Why would I do such a thing? They are still good. Though you may outgrow them sometime down the road, there is no way that I would throw them out. Just set them there on that desk. I promise that we will return for them.” He answered. Helen sighed and set her clothes down, hesitating before setting her phone down on top of them, knowing she may never be able to use it again. She gave one last longing glance at the phone before leaving through the front door, following Grendal over numerous vine bridges to a vast platform. It was secured to multiple trees, with grass, dirt, and even a small stream running through the middle of it. As Helen set foot on the platform, her whole body felt lighter as her fatigue vanished. Grendal turned back to her with hands behind his back.

 

“This place is where I trained many a Magician. For now, you are to keep your mouth closed, and your ears and heart open. Only answer questions that I ask. What I am going to help you with is to tap into your mana, an energy that comes from your Life Force. It is used as a catalyst for all magic or abilities. Now place your feet like this, just a bit wider than your shoulders, pull your arms in and close your eyes. Look deep inside yourself. Look for the feeling of energy swirling within you.” Helen closed her eyes, listening to everything that was around her: birds singing, the light breeze blowing through the trees, and the musty smell of live wood. She was about to give up when she felt something. It felt like a light pressure in her chest.

 

“I think I found it!” she exclaimed. Grendal smiled when he heard the smile in her voice.

 

“Good. Remember that feeling. That is your mana. Now, you must take that feeling and direct it to your mind and your hands. This will properly open the pathways for you to use your mana and build the amount available to you. To compare it to something you already know, your total mana is equivalent to two mana points. But be warned; if you try to use any spell after your mana has completely depleted, you will instead use your life force. Unless you can tap into the power of the Crystal itself, which you will learn to use, you will slowly begin to kill yourself.”

 

“But how can I learn to use that power? I barely know how to use mana.” Helen asked, opening her eyes.

 

“You can use that power already. If you remember, you were subconsciously using it when you were giving students first aid. It took the form of a healing spell. The principle for using it is the same as mana, but it is far more potent. Learning to use the crystal’s power will come in time. For now, focus on mana.” For hours, the two of them worked to gain control of Helen’s mana by directing it to her hands. It would often come close, but not before her mana would run out.

 

Just as the sun was setting, Helen finally broke through. Directing her mana made it grow tenfold. She would have liked to continue, but her body and mind were worn out. Grendal teleported them both back to his house. Helen meandered to a soft bed and collapsed, instantly falling asleep.

 

The next morning started far too early for Helen. Nonetheless, she dragged her sore body from bed to run through an underbrush obstacle course that Grendal had set up the night before. When she finished, Helen was given only a few moments to catch her breath, then hurled right into her magic training. Once shown and instructed, Helen practiced the most basic attacks, the Plasma Bolt and the Double Claw, on unsuspecting green blob-like creatures called Slime that roamed the area. Once she was sure of her mana control, Grendal showed her more advanced spells such as Magic Armor, Teleportation and Armor Fortification until her mana ran dry.

 

After Helen was given a rest, she was sent through the obstacle course and drained her mana again while Grendal coached her. On the third round running the course, Helen collapsed to the ground, panting and wheezing as though she had just run eighty miles.

 

“Get up, you still have the whole day ahead of you!” Grendal commanded. Helen pulled her elbows under her; her chest felt tight, each breath felt like fire, and her eyes burned from sweat dripping into them.

 

“No… more… for today… I’m spent.”

 

“Do you think that the Black Mage will wait for you to regain your stamina? You must get up and go on!” Helen pulled her jelly legs under her, calmed her breathing, and brushed the sweat from her brow.

 

“Minerva would be proud of you, Helen. Now show me the most powerful Plasma Bolt you can muster!” Helen channeled mana to her hands, heating the air around it into its most basic form then hurled it away from her with a heartfelt yell.

 

Olsen Begins:

 

It felt only like a moment, but Jin and Olsen were soon standing outside of a rundown city. Once tall buildings lay in rubble all over the ground. Sidewalks were broken and twisted, newsstands and small shops had broken windows, while pages of newspapers littered the streets.

 

“Is this Kerning?” Olsen asked while Dark Lord shook his head.

 

“This is only what is left. Come.” Jin commanded. Olsen solemnly followed until they stopped in front of a café with the doors missing. Inside was dusty beyond help. Chairs were broken everywhere, and bottles from the bar lay in shattered spreads of glass on the ground. The only placed left untouched was the back bathroom. Jin and Olsen crowded into the tiny space, then pulled the flush chain making the floor sink below ground level to what looked to be an underground boxing arena.

 

Jin walked off to the lockers while Olsen admired the scene before him. To one side of the room was a locked wardrobe. Something felt as if it were calling him from inside; something powerful.

 

“Hey, dad. What’s inside the dress…” a shuriken came flying in from somewhere in the locker room and cut the lock off, throwing the doors open. The inside revealed a rugged and well-made red kimono shirt and pants edged in gold cloth, while a long sash was wrapped around the waist and tipped with a large bell. Knee high boots sat at the bottom of the dresser while a Captain’s hat perched on top with a white bandana below it.

 

“That is the ultimate in Ninja Attire: The Blade of Flames. No other ninja, including myself, have ever become powerful enough, or worthy enough to wear such an honor. If you stay the course, you will. In the meantime, wear these.” Jin answered, handing Olsen a dull red vest, loose-fitting pants, weighty brown shoes, and a floppy beanie.

 

“Clothes like these have been worn by some of the most powerful Ninja, myself included, in all of Ossyria.” Olsen looked over the clothes and sighed, looking back to the Blade of Flames. He _was_ going to wear that one day, he would make sure of it.

 

It didn’t take him long to change into the training clothes. When he came out of the locker, his father was standing next to a mannequin dressed in a red sleeveless shirt over fine brass chainmail. The pants resembled red denim with plates of hardened armor attached to it on the shins. At the foot of the mannequin were boots covered in black chainmail, and a floppy, beanie-like hat sat on the head.

 

“This will be given to you once you have completed your training. Now come, we must make you aware of your mana,” Jin commanded. The two of them sprinted through the city, performing many feats of parkour as they traveled to an abandoned construction site. Olsen instantly felt something wash over him as he stepped over the perimeter.

 

“Here is where many a Ninja was born. If you are going to be the hero you were destined to be, you must first have an awareness of your own power. The Pink Quartz’s power is something you will be able to control with time, but that is not what I want you to use. I want you to use your mana. It is energy that every man, woman, and child is born with.” Holding up his hand, a small pool of thick blue-brown liquid formed in his palm.

 

“Many are never aware of it: this energy comes directly from your Life Force, and so you must be careful when you do use it. You can use all your mana without consequence, but once you have, you must either rest until it is restored or tap into the limitless power of the Quartz. Otherwise, you will use your very own life force, and it will kill you.” Olsen thought about what he had been told for a moment until Jin handed him a glove with a thin plate attached over the knuckles with small points, and a dagger. The glove also had close to twenty shurikens loaded into a small pocket just behind the palm under the wrist where the glove was fastened.

 

“This Claw is yours until you have completed your training. You will be given this, the Steel Guard, as a gift once your training is complete.” Olsen looked over the Claw with eyes wide, the feats of what he had accomplished while playing his character in Maplestory coming to mind. He wondered if he would eve be able to return to Ohio one day, or if he could, would he even want to? He may be close to Matthew, Jenny, Jack, and Helen, but he had made some other friends in Ohio that he would miss. With a hard sigh, putting it out of his mind and centering on the moment.

 

“So how do I become aware of my mana?” Jin smiled. Olsen reminded him so much of his younger self during his days as part of the Night Lords.

 

“First, you must clear your mind; think only about finding a feeling of flow throughout your body. Stand with your feet together and your arms straight out to your sides.” Olsen took the stance, despite feeling slightly stupid. A few times he couldn’t really tell whether it was the need to go to the bathroom or something else, but soon he was able to find the flow of something. Concentrating on it, he felt a flutter in his gut.

 

“I’ve got it,” Olsen called, continuing to concentrate on the flow. Jin smiled, watching as a low blue haze began to rise from Olsen’s shoulders.

 

“Very good. Now channel that feeling into your arms and legs. Draw your dagger in the opposite hand of your Claw. Send the feeling through your arms and saturate both your Claw and your dagger. Take your time, because you will use up your supply of Mana.”

 

“Well then what’s the point?” Olsen asked, dropping his arms and opening his eyes.

 

“Another part of this training will expand your mana capacity. But be warned, once that you no longer feel your mana, you must stop. If you want to continue once your mana is gone, you must learn to control the Pink Quartz. Now concentrate!” Olsen snickered and retook his stance, clearing his head of everything. It was much harder than he had realized to redirect the flow that he had found. Just as he was getting close, his mana would run dry. After a short rest, he would try again, slowly but steadily opening his mana pathways and growing the amount of mana available to him. With the last effort, The routes were opened, leaving him exhausted. Jin made a campfire that night on the site and brought some blankets for Olsen to sleep on under the stars.

 

When morning came, Olsen was dragged from his covers and made to run a Parkour course, jumping over obstacles, steep inclines, and even over buildings. Once he finished, he was put through his paces using mana to throw two shurikens at one time or to stab twice so fast, both stabs appeared to hit simultaneously. For advanced techniques, Jin taught him the Shadow Cloak to become invisible and the Guard Drop to disorient an enemy. Once Olsen’s mana would deplete, he would be allowed to rest for a short while, and then would be sent through the same process again until he collapsed in the middle of the day.

 

“I have… no more energy… I’ve gotta eat.” Dark Lord nodded and let him have a small loaf of bread and some water, sending him through the course once finished. With each throw or stab, his mana was growing along with his speed and agility. Dark Lord could hear it in each grunt that came from Olsen. Each move he made began to show small flames, a sign that mastery of the techniques was building within Olsen.

 

Jenny Begins:

 

When Athena and Jenny arrived, neither was prepared for the sight that greeted them. Houses were flattened, shrubs yellowed, the grass had been turned to dust, and all the trees had been cut down except for one near the back of the village. Quietly, the two of them walked to that house, taking in all the damage that had been done during the evacuation.

 

“This looks nothing like the game.” Jenny sighed as she knelt down and picked up a doll whose arm had been torn off and was missing a button eye.

 

“Within the game, the Black Mage was nothing but a far-off memory sweetheart. This is what fighting such a powerful foe looks like.” Athena answered sadly.

 

“I remember children running through these streets, chasing one another with small bows and plunger arrows, pretending to be Minerva’s heroes of old fighting off the Black Wings.” Athena mused, still able to hear the sounds of those children’s laughter, seeing their ghosts run through the streets. Jenny followed her mother into the house where broken arrows stuck into the wall or faded targets. It was so similar to the way the game had portrayed this house that Jenny felt as though she had stepped right into the game itself. As she admired the large front room, Athena went to her desk to search for something. Presently, Jenny came across a steel plate of names, reaching from the ceiling to the floor, covering an entire wall.

 

“What this?” she asked, running her hands over the letters which had been etched into the steel.

 

“It is a list of archers I trained before I left for the other world. Many, many of those names were lost during the battles that followed, but they will never be forgotten. Their sacrifice has laid the path for you to stop the Black Mage.” Respectfully, Jenny ran her hand over each name, reading them off in her head as if she were visiting the Wall of Names in Washington D.C.: Jason Beil, Odette Mills, Alexio Gre, Christian Sori, and so many more. As Jenny felt over the names, she felt a small inconsistency in the metal, making a hideaway wall slide out. On a thin wooden rod hung two blue outfits reflecting the sun revealing metallic threads woven into the fabric. One looked to be a long button up dress with the front of the skirt cut out, showing the white pants with a wide black belt. The white sleeves ended in gold while the shoes and hat carried the same light yet authoritative blue as the dress.

 

“What is this?” Jenny asked with interest as she ran her hand over the collar, pulling away when something shocked her hard enough to give her a blood blister.

 

“These are called the Sky Lineros; the one on the left is meant for you. One does not simply buy armor and don it. The power within The Sky Leneros would overpower you, and you would lose yourself in the ecstasy of being drunk with power. For now, these will suffice.” Athena stated as she produced a green tube top with a leather jacket, complemented by a matching heavy leather skirt and green apron.

 

“Do I really have to wear _that?_ ” Jenny asked, pointing to the outfit in Athena’s hands.

 

“Yes, however only until you have completed your training. You are still very far from being able to wear The Sky Lineros, but it won’t be going anywhere.” Jenny looked back at the Lineros and sighed, taking the outfit to a room where she could change.

 

“Do not feel so forlorn. Even I wore something like that when I learned from Mercedes,” Athena said as she leaned against the wall outside the room. Jenny felt slightly better when she heard Athena had to wear this god-awful outfit but still wanted to wear the Lineros. When she came back out, Jenny walked over to the wall of names, setting down her clothes with a smirk while letting her hand linger on her favorite blouse.

 

“ _I’ll do you, proud guys,_ ” she thought, turning back to Athena who handed her a simple bow and quiver of arrows as they walked to a range just outside the village walls. Jenny instantly noted the feeling of strength was over her. Athena spent some time explaining and showing Jenny how to discover and use her mana by channeling it through her arms. It was a slow process, but Jenny was able to direct her mana, leaving her physically exhausted, but stronger nonetheless. When they left the training grounds, Jenny felt the full weight of her fatigue as the magic no longer supported her.

 

She slept well that night, but the next morning, under the loud insistence of her mother, Jenny pulled her sore body from her bed. The fresh air was enough to quickly wake Jenny up as Athena drilled her in agility and marksmanship. Jenny was also drilled in using her mana for techniques she had seen her mother demonstrate. When Jenny tired near the middle of the day, Athena sternly motivated her to continue. Athena felt a slight twinge of pride when the next shot Jenny fired pushed a target back: her power was growing nicely.

 

Matthew and Jack Begin:

 

A thread of lightning hit the ground outside what looked to be an old stone temple. Statues of ancient warriors carved into the rock stood on either side of the entrance.

 

“Wow! I never thought that I’d actually be here one day.” Matthew said in awe.

 

“Yeah no kidding, it’s a lot bigger than I thought it’d be.” Jack laughed, looking up enough to almost fall over backward.

 

“What is it, Jack?” asked Kyrin.

 

“This! I mean I know it’s carved into a mountain and all, but still!” Jack said, throwing his hand forward to the temple.

 

“This is the Great Hall of Warriors; many were trained here. But this will be the first time that a Pirate has been trained at the Hall of Warriors.” Dances with Balrog said as he heaved the stone doors open leading into the temple. Jack and Matt could hardly contain themselves as they admired the myriad of weapons hanging on the walls from past warriors, three of which were empty. The first showed the name Fang of Blades, and the second, Snow Tiger. The third looked as if the name had been scratched away with only an “a” and an “o” remaining.

 

“Who’s name used to be here?” Matthew asked, pointing to the empty space. Dances began to answer when Aran came through the doors holding a package in his arms which he handed to Kyrin and left.

 

“What was that all about? I thought he was going to check things out in the center?” Jack asked.

 

“I had asked Aran to get this from the _Nautilus_ before we left and must have forgotten he had it. This is a gift once you are fully trained, the coveted suit Emerald Sea,” Kyrin said proudly, pulling open the thick brown paper enough for Jack to see the black and green suit. Jack went to touch it, but a pressure pushing against his hand stopped him.

 

“That armor behind you, Matthew, is what you shall wear: The Bullion.” Matthew turned to see a sturdy statue donned with elegant black and gold armor, preserved within a glass a wood cabinet. Matthew stepped to it and placed his hand on the dusty glass. He could feel the hum of power radiating from the armor, even from behind the panes.

 

“So where do we start?” Jack asked. Struggling to resist touching the suit. Something instinctively told him he wasn’t ready.

 

“With these,” Kyrin answered, holding a worn-out tank top and leather pants, with equally worn out shoes and bandana. Jack eagerly took the clothes, running to the darkest part of the temple to change. Once Matthew had his fill of admiring his eventual armor, Dances presented him with a dull suit of armor and dented grieves, which Matthew tried to don. After a few unsuccessful minutes, Dances chuckled and helped him put it on.

 

“I’m surprised that they are taking this so well.” Commented Dances with surprise in his voice, watching as Jack and Matthew both admired one another’s get up.

 

“Did you expect resistance?” Kyrin asked. Dances shook his head and waved his hand.

 

“No, not resistance, just a bit of complaining. I suppose I didn’t give those two enough credit,” Dances smiled. Putting their folded clothes on the altar, Jack and Matthew bowed to the wall, as if they were leaving their old life behind, going to the training grounds to, at the very least, become aware of their mana. Surprisingly, both boys took to routing their mana within a few minutes. They also surprised Kyrin and Dances when they insisted on beginning to train. Not wanting to stunt their enthusiasm, Jack was given a pair of Brass Knuckles, and Matthew was given a small sword. The day’s training allowed both boys to grow in strength and mana capacity many times over. And the next day, despite being sore, were up and training even before Dances and Kyrin.

 

“They have spirit, I’ll give ‘em that,” Kyrin chuckled as she watched the boys run through the obstacle course.

 

“My only hope is that it will not wither when the darker days come.” Dance answered, crossing his arms and thinking of the next round of training for them both.

 

****

 

“What is it that we are looking for, Aran?” Eckhart asked, darting in and out of the shadows, only the white half of his face covering mask visible in the light of Oz’s flames.

 

“We are looking for the Seal Anchors set up here by Freud. If we can find those, Oz might be able to figure out how they were broken.” Oz tossed aside her fire red curls, holding up her staff as a wall of flaming gears appeared above them.

 

“I don’t wanna sound rude Aran, but you do realize that I can’t really read ancient magic all that well. You guys dealt with some potent stuff back in those days, and the modern magic structure is different compared to what you knew,” Oz called, clambering over the rubble, looking for anything that resembled some kind of markings.

 

“I don’t need you to read them Oz, I just need you to feel out how they were broken. Freud told me this seal was indestructible once it had been fully activated. Obviously, that wasn’t the case, and I want to know why.” Aran called, tossing aside boulders with ease to search until Eckhart called them over to some marking carved into the rock.

 

“That’s what I’m looking for. Oz, if you would please.” Aran asked. Oz sighed heavily, holding her hand over the markings. Within a few moments, Oz furrowed her brow and gave a concerned look to Eckhart.

 

“What’s the matter, Oz?” Aran asked, noticing the shift in attitude coming from Oz and Eckhart.

 

“Three years before you left to get the masters, the Ereve Vault had been broken into where we keep some of Ossyria’s most powerful relics. Nothing seemed to be missing at the time, so we kept it quiet as we investigated.” Oz’s shoulders squared as she stood up, keeping her vision averted from Aran.

 

“The Black Witch’s attack on Ereve revealed that she had the Dark Crystal and was using it to enhance her powers. That attack prevented our assistance to Edelstein. We tried taking the Crystal away from her after we the Ereve forces defeated her, but we failed.”

 

“How does this explain what happened here?” Aran snapped, realizing that the Dark Crystal in possession of the Black Wings would mean that they were in much more danger than he first thought.

 

“The energy coming from this seal is the same as the Dark Crystal’s energy. It was used to break this seal.” Oz explained.

 

“That’s impossible! Freud made sure it was indestructible.”

 

“Any spell, no matter how powerful, can be broken if bombarded with enough power,” Oz answered solemnly.

 

* * *

 

The Mage looked to Eleanor as she sauntered into the room, whispers arising as she came closer.

 

“Yes, my Lord, the Slime King has been delivered to his domain. Isn’t it time that you retire for the evening? You’ve been awake for nearly a month and a half. You should really get some rest.” Eleanor said smoothly as she massaged his shoulders, handing him a glass of her special mana potion. The Mage drank a sip and held it to the sun as he adjusted his stiff neck. The only response she was given was him quickly drinking down the potion, then handing her the glass as whispers surrounded her once more.

 

“I meant no disrespect master. I am only thinking of your well being.” She answered. The Mage narrowed his eyes at her, turning his attention back to the world outside his window, almost ignoring her before she left his chamber, feeling slightly alone.


	6. The Guardians Emerge, Victorious

Two Months Later

 

Jenny sped through the obstacle course fast enough that her steps and movements kicked up a trail of dust. Her arms and shoulders glowed with a slight aqua light, enabling her to fire arrows with blinding speed. Unsuspecting jumping orange mushrooms would be pinned to the surrounding trees, and walking stumps would be reduced to splinters. 

 

She skidded to a stop when the course came to a dead end with a wall of trees and thick bushes and immediately nocked an arrow, listening for the sound of possible attackers all around her. From behind her, a small green snake launched itself from a bush. Jenny spun around and pinned its head to a tree. Meanwhile, walking stumps began melting out of the nearby forests, creaking and snapping as they walked. Jenny reached for her crossbow and fired a spear of flaming aqua light into the ground, making it heave as dozens of bolts shredded through the stumps’ wooden bodies. A small man wearing a mask made of wood over his face and brandishing a tomahawk ax promoting Jenny to quickly draw her bowstring as aqua light appeared from her hands in the shape of an arrow: The Spine Arrow. 

 

The light pierced through the mask and skull of the creature; it let out a squeaking growl as it fell to the ground before fading away as blue dust. As the beast disappeared, the trees blocking Jenny path swept aside, allowing her to complete the training course. Over the past 2 months, Jenny had become a well-defined young woman; her usually jaw-length hair now came down to past her shoulders, which has also taken on a green tint. No longer was she the slim, athletic track runner from Ohio; she was now a toned and deadly archer.

 

“Well done, Jenny. You have performed your training much better than I could have hoped.” Athena called. Jenny smiled with pride as she slung her bow over her shoulders and hugged Athena.

 

“Thanks, mom. Never thought I’d even get the hang of using the Emerald Crystal.” Jenny said, holding up her hand where an aqua colored mist hovered in her hand. From behind her, Aran and Lillianne jumped down from the trees where they had been watching.

 

“I too am very impressed, Miss Jenny. I’m a bit confused as to why it’s not completely green though.” Aran asked. Jenny looked back to the cloud and shrugged.

 

“I’m… not entirely sure. It might be because I’m accidentally using a bit of mana when I use the crystal’s power. It might get better over time, it’s all still a little new to me.” she answered. Aran nodded before reaching into his knapsack, where he pulled out a paper package and handed it to Jenny.

 

“This is a gift for completing your training, The Huntress Armor. It will help you on your journey.” Jenny reached for the package and pulled the twine ribbon away to reveal the black and gold armor within.

 

“A new bow is waiting in the changing.” Lillianne smiled broadly as Jenny ran inside where she found a bow with the name ‘Ryden’ written across the arms, along with a new crossbow, the Mountain, sitting on the floor. When she came out of the dressing room, she resembled a huntress even more than before. The snug fitting top accentuated her curves with a one-sided bikini over her chest. A short gold skirt over close-fitting black pants adorned her legs, while dark grey boots edged with gold protecting her feet. Finishing the ensemble was a black hat sporting a feather in the band.

 

“I’m beginning to think that I won’t need that Sky Lineros any time soon; this looks amazing,” Jenny said, admiring herself in the mirror, slinging the quiver and bow over her shoulder while hanging the crossbow on her hip.

 

“Here, these are also for you from me: a pair of earrings called the Snail Eyes,” Lillianne said as she held out a small pair of silver earrings decorated with a green gem. Quickly, Jenny put them through her ears, despite the momentary pain of making a hole for them to go through. Jenny posed for a moment drawing her bow and admiring her stance in the mirror. Athena stood off to the side leaning against the wall, watching her daughter’s posing, remembering her training under Mercedes. When Jenny faced her, Athena stood and nodded.

 

“The villagers will be reassured once you return to Herb Town.” She said, placing a hand on Jenny’s shoulder before Aran looked through the door.

 

 “We must go and collect Helen. She should be finishing the last of her training at any minute.” Aran stated as the four of them began running through the plains towards the thick forests of Ellinia.

 

* * *

 

Helen waved her staff to the side, casting a fire spell that roared through branches blocking her path and obliterated them as though they were paper. The smell of rotting wood wafted into her nose as Dark Walking Stumps came lumbering into her way, shooting tiny roots from the ground towards her. She quickly pointed her fingertips at them, spreading her hand as a lavender mist swirled from her arm. Streams of lighting shot down on the stumps, burning them to a crisp, spreading burnt splinters everywhere. Above her, a giant green spider hung down from its web, waiting for any kind of pray to wander into its sticky silk. Helen hadn’t recovered from the spell that she had cast at the walking stumps and collided into the web, sticking to the threads. 

 

The spider, as long as Helen was tall, pulled itself up and walked to where she had stumbled. However, before it could sink its fangs into Helen’s arm, a cloud of lavender enveloped her, teleporting her a short distance away. She held her staff at arm’s length, and Helen drew her hand across the shaft as though it were a bow. A blue cloud plumed from her hand, creating a giant bow and arrow made of divine light. The Sacred Arrow hit the spider through the heart, making it scream in a high pitched note as it melted into a sickly green pool of blood on the ground. Helen then pointed her staff to the web. Cold air billowed from the head, freezing the silk, which allowed her to hit it and break it into thousands of tiny shards. 

 

No sooner had she broken the web, a pack of boars charged at her. Helen drove the end of her staff into the ground, making seal movements with her hands and fingers. She touched a pouch on her belt and pulled a small drop of poison out, inflating it like a bubble until it burst, causing its vapors to fall over the pack. They instantly stopped and began to convulse on the ground, letting Helen walk across the finish of her obstacle course while holding her breath just as Aran and the others came to where Grendal stood. 

 

Jenny almost didn’t recognize her friend; the girl she had known now only existed in her facial features. Helen’s red hair had grown, cascading down to the middle of her back in luscious locks that had turned a light shade of lavender. Meanwhile, her bright eyes seemed to house a strange, powerful light deep within them. Despite the changes both had gone through, they still ran and hugged each other upon meeting gazes.

 

“Jenny! You look so different! You look good! Especially with that outfit and new bow of yours.” Helen commented, running her hand over the green and yellow bow.

 

“I could say the same for you. I almost didn’t recognize you!” Jenny answered, motioning to Helen’s now more notable figure.  

 

“You’re not so bad yourself. It looks like you’ve been able to control the Emerald Crystal a bit.”

 

“Yeah, but not much. I’m still using mana at the same time for some reason,” Jenny said, holding up her hand where an aqua colored cloud appeared. Helen looked it over for a moment, narrowing her eyes as she thought. 

 

“Are you thinking of the crystal’s power as something to _add_ to your Mana?” Helen asked, watching the cloud more closely.

 

“I guess? Haven’t really given it much thought. My mom said that controlling it was like controlling mana, so that could have something to do with it.” Helen shook her head, holding up her hand as an intense violet cloud appeared in her hand.

 

“Controlling crystal power is the same, but tapping into it is a lot different. It’s a separate energy altogether,” she explained, a lavender cloud of energy appearing in her palm that made Jenny’s skin itch with static.

 

“Well, that’s easy for you. Most of your magic is based on Mana Manipulation.” 

 

“It’s not as hard as you think. It just takes some practice. I actually started by using mana and crystal power at the same time, but Grandpa gave me some tips on how to single it out. ” Helen said until Grendal cleared his throat, making Jenny back up a bit so that he could speak to his granddaughter.

 

“Helen, you have surpassed my expectations as a mage. Even your control over the Amethyst Crystal is impressive. And as such, I am extremely proud of you.” He smiled as Aran stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. 

 

“Helen, you are truly the Guardian Mage. The pain, tears, sweat, and blood that you have shed haven’t gone unappreciated. In honor of your completion, the Fairy Attire is waiting for you inside the library.” Helen teleported away to change while Grendal, Athena, and Aran stepped away from the area a bit. 

 

“Tell me Grendal, has Helen unsealed the Amethyst crystal?” Grendal shook his head.

 

“Not entirely. The majority of its power is still sealed. As Helen said, I showed her a few pointers, but the rest she has figured out on her own.” Aran nodded in understanding, turning to Athena.

 

“And what of Jenny? It appears as though she hasn’t been able to gain as much control. Have you taught her how to use it?”

 

“I taught her how to use it. However, she has expressed many times that she is unable to distinguish the differences between her mana and the Emerald Crystal’s power.” Aran sighed, putting his hand to his forehead with an uneasy grin.

 

“I don’t like to be the pessimist in this situation, but the power of the crystals won’t grow until they are unsealed. Can’t you unseal them yourself?” Aran pressed.

 

“That would be unwise,” Grendal answered. “While we masters wielded the crystal’s power, I placed the nearly unbreakable seal on them to prevent its emergence in the other world. That power has now passed on to these children. In doing so, not only has the power changed but the nature of the seal as well, so releasing it now could prove deadly. When the time is right, the seal will break on its own.” Aran crossed an arm over his chest and rested his chin on his fist, dropping his shoulders until Helen returned. Jenny and Lillianne could only stare in wonder at her transformation just by changing clothes.

 

“You look much more like a mage now, Helen,” Lillianne grinned as she handed her a beautiful pair of earrings; teardrop-shaped plates of onyx centered on a chip of Amethyst called The Dark Shards. Since Helen already wore earrings, she quickly changed them for the prettier ones, as Grendal lowered a ring of gold onto her head.

 

“I’m almost jealous,” Jenny smirked, helping to put on the earrings. 

 

“I have already spoken to Dark Lord and Olsen. They will be meeting us in Perion where we will be collecting Matthew and Jack.” Aran announced. Helen looked around at her training grounds before remembering something and teleporting away. A moment later she came back with her old clothes in her arms.

 

“Why are you bringing those? We don’t really need ‘em anymore.” Jenny asked.

 

“It’s something to remind me of home,” Helen answered, teleporting after the group as they sped off to the mountains in the north. Even from their vast distance, they could see clouds of dust and smoke rising from over the mountains where Jack and Matthew were training.

 

* * *

 

 

Matthew’s two-handed sword rang loudly as four unsuspecting walking stumps split in two. As he reached for the sword on his belt, Jack jumped over him, with a brightly crimson fist drawn back. The connecting punch obliterated a charging boar, dust, and a few leaves swirling in the air. Something made a massive log fall from above Jack, but Matthew was quick to draw his Viking sword from his hip and with a wide swing, he spit the log in half. 

 

A blue cloud descended over Matthew while blue streaks covered Jack as giant boulders came falling down a hill behind them. With explosive strength, Matthew's swings cut each stone as if it were clay, while Jack’s thunderous punches reduced them to pebbles.

 

“I thought that thing was going to be tougher,” Jack said through huffs, drawing his pistol and firing two well-placed shots into the head of a Horned Ghost rising behind Matthew, nearly grazing Matthew’s ear. Matthew flinched, rubbing his ear until he saw something behind Jack.

 

“It’s all in… perspective!” in a blur, Matthew stabbed his two-handed sword over Jack’s shoulder and through the stone mask of a creature readying to pounce Jack, causing it to disappear in a cloud of mana. Near the end of the course, Lillianne watched from a high vantage point, eager to see Matthew. Over the past two months, she had visited the Perion training grounds and spent time with Matthew during his downtime and watching him as he trained. 

 

At the end of the course, a thick stone wall stood between Jack and Matthew and their goal. Matthew sheathed the Viking and readied his two-handed sword while Jack holstered his gun and adjusted his knucklers. A red glow surrounded them, and their weapons as the wind gently swirled around them. Jack took a few steps back; Matthew braced his stance. Threads of red lighting began to spark from the hilt and around the knucklers until Jack let out a screaming grunt, creating a perpendicular cyclone as he charged forward. Matthew drove his sword forward just as Jack passed him. 

 

Both of them hit simultaneously with enough force to shower the finish line with small rocks and dust, making Dances and Kryin both dart away to avoid the debris. With an aloof saunter, Jack and Matthew walked across the finish, exchanging hand slaps like a secret handshake. Lillianne shivered when she felt the excess power of the ruby crystal wash over her. The only other person Lillianne had seen with that much control over the crystal’s power was Helen, and both instances made her realize just how powerless Lillianne would be one day. 

 

“What do you think, Lilly?” Aran asked. Lillianne jumped in surprise, unaware of Aran’s coming up behind her.

 

“Dad! I told you never to call me that. I’m not a little kid anymore!” Lillianne blushed, turning away from him, hoping that he hadn’t seen her intensely staring at Matthew. Aran chuckled until he felt something appear behind him. Spinning around, he drew his halberd Maha from his back, expecting to see a troupe of Black Wings soldiers. Instead, he saw Olsen and Jin jumping down to where Matthew and Jack were standing. Olsen wore a red close fitting shirt with golden-colored mail sleeve. His red pants also had golden-colored shin guards while a red cap with goggles sat atop his head and heavy steel chainmail boots adorning his feet.

 

When Jenny and Helen showed up at the finish line, they hardly recognized the boys standing before them. The last they had seen of Olsen, he had long blond hair and twinkling blue eyes. Now his hair was softer looking, cut just below his ears and draped over one eye, the majority of which beginning to turn a pastel pink. Matthew and Jack had lost some weight but gained more muscle mass. Matthew’s hair had grown out to the middle of his back, turning an almost cranberry red. Jack’s hair has also grown out, standing on end in long spikes, stained a dark crimson. Jenny immediately let out an excited squeal, running to each of them and giving them all a tight hug.

 

“You guys look so different! I almost didn’t recognize you!” She said. Jack and Olsen looked to each other for a moment as Jenny hung from Matthew’s neck for a moment.

 

“Jenny? Is that you!?” Jack asked, pointing to her with wide eyes and surprised laugh.

 

“Yeah, it’s me, who else did you think it would be?” Jenny asked, putting a fist on her hip.

 

“Dang, girl. Look at you! You look amazing!” Jack complimented until he, Matthew, and Olsen caught sight of Helen who glided towards them. All three only stared in disbelieving awe: was this really the same Helen they knew from Ohio?

 

“I could say the same for you three. Time has definitely been working its magic on all of us.” Helen answered. Off to the side, Jenny groaned under her breath and nudged Olsen in the ribs. Sure, Helen was captivating, but she was too in her own way, right? Helen broke the silence when she noticed how intensely colored Jack’s, and Matthew’s hair was tinted, even more so than Olsen’s.

 

“How is it that all of us went through the same rigorous training, but only Jack and Matthew’s hair has almost completely changed color?” she asked, holding up a few strands of her lavender hair to show. Aran scratched his forehead for a second and then turned to Grendal as though asking for help.

 

“Perhaps they have a natural affinity for controlling the crystal? It was Jack that tripped the Ruby Crystal first, albeit by accident.” Gendal answered when Jack spoke up.

 

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. As far as controlling it though, It’s not that hard.”

 

“It’s really not,” Matthew continued.

 

“So then how were you able to tap into it? What do you think about to access its power so easily?” Helen asked. Matthew and Jack looked at each other and shrugged, while Matthew answered.

 

“I just use it. I don’t really think much about anything in particular.”

 

“Being a bit of a brute can do that,” Olsen answered with an edge in his voice.

 

“Hey, calm down there hotshot,” Jenny said, patting his shoulder with the back of her hand.

 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. All I meant is that Jack and Matthew’s style of fighting requires less intensive thought. Perhaps that is what allows them so much greater control.” Helen looked over to Olsen, noting that the patches of hair with color were almost as saturated as Matthew of Jack.

 

“So then how did you accomplish your control?” Helen asked. Olsen crossed his arms, looking over to Jin with a bit of subtle malice before answering.

 

“The crystal’s power isn’t so much another form of energy as it is an extension of your person. It’s always there, just not as something one is aware of, like a person following you from a distance.” Jenny nodded, trying to compile all the methods she had heard for controlling the crystal’s power. Athena taught her thoroughly in Mana Manipulation and gave her extensive lessons in controlling the Emerald Crystal. But Jenny simply could not wrap her mind around keeping her mana separate when using the crystal’s power. These new perspectives might give her the boost she needed.

 

“So did any of you have to fight off Black Wings?” Jack asked, taking off his knucklers and grabbing a nearby towel to wipe the damp dust and sweat from his face.

 

“My father and I went searching for them every other day. It’s one of the reasons I was able to gain so much control of the crystal.”

 

“You went _searching_ for them? Jin, I know you want to make them powerful in as little time as possible, but that’s just suicide!” Kyrin interjected.

 

“It was a necessary risk,” Jin answered coldly, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

“It was one that was foolishly taken. What might have happened if Olsen were to face a soldier much stronger than he?” Athena asked, furrowing her brow.

 

“Then I would have stepped in. I did not task Olsen with foes he could not defeat.”

 

“I must agree with Kyrin and Athena. While the risk in coming here meant that facing the Black Wings was a possibility, at least the training grounds would have assisted them. Leaving the grounds in search of the Black Wings was much too big a risk, especially without the training they now have.” Dances interjected. Jin huffed, turning and walking away from the group until Jenny broke the silence. 

 

“Mom actually helped me fight off a couple of them. I almost got smacked in the face by one though.” Jenny laughed nervously, holding up the shoulder piece of her training outfit that had been burned.

 

“Looks like you were able to avoid it just in time. Nicely done,” Olsen replied with a slight grin, holding up his forearm to show a scar running from his wrist to his elbow.

 

“I feel you there, Olsen. Matt and I got tagged too.” Jack said, pulling up his shirt to show where a few bandages were wrapped across his torso. Matthew tilted his head to the side, revealing a scar on his neck, just below his jaw.

 

“Wow, the Black Wings are nothing like the game portrayed them. ” Helen said, leaning closer to Jack and holding her hands over the bandage while a pastel green glow emanated from them.

 

“Hey, what are you…” Jack backed away from her gesture until he realized the pain in his side had diminished significantly. 

 

“What was that?” Jack asked, putting a hand to his side.

 

“I think it was Heal, the first spell a Cleric mage gets on the first job advancement. What happened to you, anyway?” Olsen asked as Jack took off the bandage while Matthew explained.

 

“About two weeks ago. While we were running the course. I was behind Jack trying to catch up when a fireball hits him in the side. I was able to keep the Black Wing’s mage too busy to cast another spell until Dad and Kyrin got there.”

 

“You two need to work on your spatial awareness. Doing so would have prevented this from happening. I can show you how after we return to Herb Town.” Olsen said, crossing his arms and lower his brow. Jack glared at Olsen, a smirk turning up the corner of his mouth as he shook his head until Matthew remembered their training completion gifts. 

 

A few minutes later, they both came back. Matthew wore a black robe trimmed in gold with a gold dragon embroidered into the front. Silver colored grieves adorned his feet, and a Great Helm of Ruby guarded his head. Across his back was a giant Black Scimitar while the smaller straight sword, the Silver Gladius, hung from his belt. Jack had been dressed in a white tank top with a handkerchief around his neck, loose fitting brown cargo pants, and sturdy leather shoes. On his head was a Sea Man’s hat, while the Primes that he wore were accented by the leather bracers on his forearms. On his hip hung the larger Cold Colt pistol, displaying silver scrollwork down the length of the barrel. 

 

After Jenny, Olsen, and Helen had finished their admiring, Lillianne took three pairs of earrings from her nap sack and handed Olsen a set of Amethyst plate earrings, then quickly gave Jack a pair of rare Red Emerald earrings. When she came to Matthew, she took his hand and placed the same Red Emeralds in his hand along with a small piece of paper and closed his hand over it.

 

“Take these as a gift from me for finishing your training.” She said, her cheeks flushing slightly at the feel of Matthew’s hands in hers. Matthew’s heart skipped a beat when he looked into her eyes, feeling as if he had seen her before. Flashes of his dream on the ship came to mind, and he recognized her face as the girl in his arms, covered in blood. Matthew was about to say something, but she quickly backed away as the masters gathered them to one place so Aran could speak to them again.

 

“Your training thus far has been preparing you for what lays ahead. Things may seem easy now, but trust me, they are only going to get harder. To help protect you on your journeys, I have one final gift for you all: The Gaia Mantles. These Mantles were created by Minerva by powerful magic, and were hidden deep within the caves of the mighty Zakuhm.” Reaching into a second knapsack, Aran pulled out an elegant black cloak, unfolding it and letting it sway in the breeze.

 

“Lady Helen, to you I give the Ebony Gaia Mantle of Shadows. This mantle will guard you and any it covers from any magic cast upon you: the stronger the magic, the stronger the resistance. There is some ancient writing on the hem of this mantle that holds a powerful spell to use against any foe. Decipher the writing, and you will be able to wield its power.” Helen accepted the heavy cape as Aran fastened it around her shoulders and then pulled another from his knapsack.

 

“Master Olsen, I give you the Crimson Gaia Mantle of Fire. This mantle will protect you or anyone it covers against any sort of fire, even against the relentless breath of Horn Tail. Use this cape well, and it will afford you the power over fire, allowing you to bend any flame to your will, and even to use it as your own. Only a soul with understanding and discipline will be able to unlock the power within this mantle.” Olsen stepped forward, clearing his throat a bit as the warm cape was draped over his shoulders and fastened in place.

 

“To Miss Jenny, I bestow the Azure Gaia Mantle of Water. This mantle has the power to calm any storm and will defend you or anyone it covers from any water or wind-based attack. Listen to the waters and the flow of power within this cloak, and you will unlock its secrets. ” Jenny almost seemed like she was drawn forward as Aran placed the cape around her shoulders and secured it.

 

“Sir Jack, to you I endow with the Emerald Gaia Mantle of Earth. With this mantle, you or anyone it covers will be protected from even the worst of Earthquakes and any landslide or rock hurled at you. Listen to the voice of this grand mantle, and it will allow you to bend the earth to your will, allowing you to even call upon the rocks of the deep to your aid. Be firm, unwavering, and this mantle will teach you the secrets that even I cannot fathom.” Jack bowed his head once he had stepped forward, while Aran fastened the cape to his neck.

 

“And to you, Lord Matthew, I give the Golden Gaia Mantle of Light. This mantle will guard you, or anyone it covers against even the strongest of physical attacks; not even the sharpest sword will cut through its cloth. Embedded into it is an ancient code of Knights that when recited in full, will grant you power from the Spirit of Light. Only in putting another’s life before their own will the code reveal itself. Take care of those around you, and the Mantle will reveal its power to you.” Matthew knelt as the cape was draped over his shoulders and fastened to the elegant robe he wore.

 

“Each of these gifts, while elegant, are tools; use them wisely, and you will be the greatest of heroes this world has ever seen, greater than even my companions and I.” The Five admired one another’s capes as they followed the masters towards Ellinia when a musty sweet smell began to permeate the air. The ground vibrated, making small rocks around them jump and shudder while a low rumble echoed towards them.

 

“What was that?” asked Olsen, drawing his dagger to the ready while trying and find what had caused the vibration.

 

“That was a creature I thought had been dealt with many years ago,” Athena whispered.

 

“What? What?” Jenny asked, drawing her bow and nocking an arrow.

 

“That is the very first of beasts that we eliminated from the Ossyria, the Slime King.” Dances answered, grinning mischievously as he remembered what he and the other masters had fought before leaving for the world of Earth. The five looked at each other before Matthew spoke up.

 

“You mean…. The Kerning City Party Quest boss?” Aran raised an eyebrow as he looked to Grandal who nodded.

 

“Erm, Yes, him… this will be your first mission tomorrow. Go to him and question him on what the Black Mage has planned, get whatever information you can out of him, and then eliminate him. He was as much a threat to the people of Ossyria even when he wasn’t under the influence of the Black Mage.” Helen put a hand on her chin, looking to think very intently When Jenny spoke up.

 

“If the Slime King is the same one as we are familiar with, then wouldn’t leaving him alone be just as effective?” Helen asked. Aran, puzzled, looked to Athena for an answer, and once he was made aware of the world that these five knew, he better understood Helen’s hesitation. Grendal interjected.

 

“The world that you knew is not the same as this world. Many things are different, but some are similar. The Slime King that you knew was more like a key to solving a puzzle. The Slime King of Ossyria is, in all actuality, the central nervous system of a very aggressive plant-based bacteria. If he is allowed to remain, the Kerning Swamps, and eventually all plant life on Victoria will become dangerously violent. He must be stopped to prevent that danger from arising.” Helen stepped forward.

 

“Should we take some potions with us? If this is as dangerous as you are making it out to be, then I would think taking some would be to our benefit.” Dances nodded, wrinkles appearing on his forehead as he thought.

 

“I am not sure if there _are_ any potions here to give you. There might be a few potions within the Great Hall, but that is an uncertainty.”

 

“It’s better than nothing. Let’s go check it out.” Jenny suggested, following Dances and Matthew back into Perion. Inside the Great Hall, Dances went to the stone platform he typically sat on and pulled a drawer out, revealing a few stubby bottles with white, orange, and red colored liquid inside. Putting a few bottles of each in a knapsack along with some bandages, he closed the drawer and gave the sack to Helen. Jenny’s curiosity peaked and looked into the bag to see a rainbow of color but lowered her brow.

 

“Um, there aren’t any Mana potions in here. Isn’t that a big thing that we’d need?” Kyrin chuckled and held up a stubby bottle of a blue liquid.

 

“In the game you’re used to, you can either wait for your mana to regenerate or to drink a potion. Here though, a mana restorative, like this, is something only to be used as a last resort. If you use mana restoratives too much, your body will eventually become reliant on it and will no longer be able to make its own mana.”

 

“So then what do these do? Do they still restore health?” Jenny asked, uncertain her questions had an answer.

 

“No, these potions actually assist your body to heal in certain ways. This white potion will help your body heal from cuts, broken bones, and even bruises. The orange potion boosts your immune system and speeds up your energy recovery. And finally, the red potion will help to recover from any blood loss.”

 

“Wait, blood loss? How dangerous do you think this fight going to be?” Jack asked. 

 

“It’s just a precaution. There is a chance you will need it, but it would be unlikely.” Matthew raised an eyebrow, looking over to Jack and lifting his eyebrows high.

 

“I know that Jack getting burned was an eye opener, but this sounds more dangerous than you’ve been letting on.” Jin came forward, drawing his dagger and looking over the blade.

 

“Yes, this is much more dangerous than you have faced thus far. You will be leaving the helping magic of the training grounds. You will be facing a creature many times your size that can and will hurt you. You will also have to kill.” 

 

“So then, what have we been fighting against for the past two months?” Jack asked, realizing that he hadn’t seen even one of the creatures he trained against even bleed, which Grendal answered.

 

“The training grounds provide creations of creatures using mana. These creatures are replicate the physical attributes so that you can be better prepared to face the real creatures.” 

 

“So all we gotta do is get into the swamps and get rid of this thing. Easy, just like the game,” smiled Jenny until Matthew answered.

 

“Jenny, this isn’t a game. This is real. What you’re talking about doing isn’t just finishing a quest: we’re going to be _killing_ something. Sure we’ve been training fake stuff, but this is a real live thing.” The five looked to one another as the realization of what they had been doing up to that point was nothing compared to what they would have to face, and what Aran meant when he said to ‘eliminate’ the Slime King. 

 

When the next day dawned, the five were given instructions to meet in the southwest part of the island called Lyth Bay once the Slime King had been defeated. Matthew, Jack, Jenny, and Helen followed Olsen as he led to Kerning, hardly able to believe that what they knew to be Kerning had become a desolate ghost town. 

 

“This is where you’ve been for two months?!” Jack asked, looking around at the cracked or broken buildings. Olsen nodded as he looked over his shoulder.

 

“Yes. This is Kerning City. My dad said that it used to be a pretty nice place before The Black Mage was brought back.”

 

“Bummer.” Jack sighed. They followed the main road that led to a big drain pipe, the entrance to the swamps behind Kerning. Just before they exited the culvert into the swamp, Olsen stopped them, listening to the air around him.

 

“Olsen, what’s the matter?” Jenny asked.

 

“You don’t feel that?” he asked, looking back to her with wide eyes. Jenny shook her head as she slowly drew her bow.

 

“If this thing, which is supposed to be the weakest of all party quest boss monsters, is working for the Black Mage and can emanate this level of evil, I can only imagine what the Mage himself is like,” Olsen shivered. After Olsen moved forward, Jenny too felt an icy chill race down her spine as her skin became rough with bumps. Jack, Helen, and Matthew also felt the chilling cold as they neared the end of the pipe that seeped into their very beings. Matthew drew the Gladius while Jack tightened his knucklers, and Helen prepared hot flame in her hand as they entered the swamp on a mossy bank.

 

“Split up, but stay within eyesight. Holler if you see it.” Olsen commanded quietly. Carefully, they trekked through the mud and vines, occasionally giving a wide berth to a group of Alligators or Crocodiles. They all were thrown off balance when the ground suddenly jolted, the mud and vines ripple. Jack quickly crouched to the ground to keep his balance before he remembered his mantle. He pulled it around himself, and instantly, the ground below his feet stopped shaking. Once the bank around him stopped quivering, Jack pushed aside his cloak to see, a few yards ahead of him, the Slime King. To his left, Matthew stood stunned; he knew the Slime King was big in the game, but the blob before him was massive. 

 

“Are you the Slime King!?” shouted Jack as he widened his stance, his fists flaring red in preparation to attack. The blob turned its eyes to him, wet squelches echoing in the air from its body.

 

“And what would you do If I say that I am?” he asked, his voice much more sinister than Jack was ready for, stunning him into silence. 

 

“We have some questions to ask you,” Helen said firmly, putting up a brave front as the Slime turned its eyes to her.

 

“Really? And what is it that you want to know?” Bubbles inside The Slime King’s transparent green body floated up as though it were becoming increasingly agitated. Matthew stepped between Helen and the slime.

 

“What does the Black Mage have in mind? Going through all this trouble just to get the Masters to return can’t be his only goal.” Matthew demanded as the Slime smiled.

 

“You’re right, that isn’t his only goal. His goals are so much simpler, and yet so far advanced that you can’t even fathom it. The Black Mage would laugh in your face if he were here.” Olsen landed next to the Slime as something black flashed in front of Matthew. A slit in the Slime King’s jelly-like skin appeared, and the cut began to ooze thick, green liquid.

 

“We aren’t here to play 20 questions you snot drop. What is The Black Mage Planning? If we wanted to destroy Ossyria, he would have done so already.” Olsen sneered. The Slime King looked to Olsen and slowly blinked as it shook his head. The oozing liquid pulled back into the giant blob’s body, closing the cut.

 

“Drop the tough act, it’s annoying.” The Slime King growled. Olsen didn’t know what it was, but he could sense that something was coming, something big and painful.

 

“GET BACK!!” Olsen shouted, throwing his hand down to draw two shurikens and turned to face the incoming threat. From trees around them, thick vines shot down. Helen unleashed her fire spell, turning the vine to ashes. However, Jack was hit in the chest, throwing him under the water. Jenny’s right shoulder was hit hard enough to numb it, spinning her around and throwing her against the ground. With a broad swing, Olsen hurled the first shuriken at the vine, and the second cutting through the vines aimed for Jack and Jenny. Matthew felt a stiff punch to his back, knocking him forward and knocking the breath out of him. 

 

“Matt! Behind you!” Olsen shouted. Wind curled around Matthew as he stood and swung behind him, splitting the second vine coming at him. Helen teleported to Jack, pulling him from the water, then teleported to Jenny. With a quick wipe of his face, Jack launched into a horizontal corkscrew into Slime King, exploding part of his body. Jenny reached for her crossbow with her left and took aim at the slime where Jack had hit. Three rings of mana encircled the bolt, creating a small shock wave as it fired into the Slime, further exploding its body.

 

Olsen rushed behind Jenny, drawing his dagger and obliterating a rush of vines aimed for her. Meanwhile, Helen appeared next to her, placing a glowing green hand on her shoulder.

 

“Hurry it up! I can’t keep this going forever!” Olsen commanded, his dagger becoming another whirl of metal and mana

 

“Just hold them back a while longer. Jenny’s nerves were shocked into short-circuiting. I can heal it, but it’ll take a bit.”

 

“Forget me, we need to take care of the Slime King!” Jenny shouted, shoving away Helen’s hand and grabbing her crossbow again. Matthew sheathed his Gladius and drew the Scimitar from across his back, light gathering at the hilt before bursting and propelling it through the Slime King’s body. Another shiver ran down Olsen’s spine, snapping his attention behind him to see the Slime King’s body compress. 

 

“He’s gonna jump!” Olsen shouted. Jack leaped back, compressing mana between his hands into and grenade, pulling the pin with his teeth and lobbing it under the blob as it left the ground. Mana gathered in Jenny’s crossbow to form a bolt as rings surrounded the bolt, again firing it with a shockwave, knocking the slime off center. Helen focused on the head of her staff, casting a frosty spell on the water, creating a tall spear of ice just as Jack’s grenade landed in the water. 

 

The Slime King landed on the spear, driving deep into his body as the grenade detonated. The Slime King’s body exploded, hurling globules of slime and shards of ice in all directions, some of which sliced through their skin. Matthew, Jack, and Jenny all hissed through their teeth as they examined the razor-thin cuts on their arms, face, and legs.

 

“Ok, good plan. But next time, let’s try to find cover _before_ we get showered in ice.” Jack called. Helen huffed to herself, once again calling on her healing magic to reset Jenny’s nerves and to heal all their small cuts.

 

“Do you think we got him?” Matthew asked, looking back at the exploded puddle of green slop.

 

“I don’t think so, look,” said Olsen, pointing out that the Slime was pulling itself back together. Jenny nocked an arrow and was beginning to draw when a vine wrapped around her. Images of Stumpy crushing her flashed through her mind as she felt the vines wrap tighter around her. Ghost pains in her chest and arms pulsed, remembering the feeling of her bones giving under the pressure.

 

“ _How can I still be unable to avoid this?!”_ Jenny thought until Olsen cut apart the vines in a hazy blue blur.

 

“FOCUS!” he yelled, rushing to the slime as it was reforming, cutting through its skin to slow its progress. Red flames shot up around Matthew as tiny tongues of fire appeared on Jack and Olsen’s shoulders. Matthew’s scimitar roared with power, swinging hard enough to split a chunk from the Slime King, but felt a wave of exhaustion come over him.

 

“ _What the heck was that?_ ” he thought, only to be thrown aside as a root tossed him into a nearby tree, leaving him gasping for air on the ground. Helen drove her hands forward, freezing the two parts Matthew had cut in place. Jack drew his pistol, backing away from the Slime King and firing on one of his eyes. Olsen jumped to the surrounding trees, using them to accelerate his movements, cutting the Slime King’s body and throwing flaming shuriken into his Jelly-like body. Jenny fired as she ran, using a combination of her Spine Arrow and Bomb Arrow to punch through portions of his body. Helen then cast lightning strikes upon the frozen body parts, snapping them out of existence. At the end of their volley, the Slime King looked like melting jello. 

 

“Now, are you going to tell us what we asked you?” Jack asked, reloading his pistol and snapping the cylinder shut. Olsen halted in a tree above the scene, readying another pair of Shuriken. The Slime King remained silent and turned his remaining eye to them. The ice holding his body apart broke, allowing him to pull the goop of his body back together while healing the wounds they had inflicted. Matthew sprinted from behind, spurring Jack, Helen, and Jenny to attack with him. However, Olsen didn’t move: something about their approach seemed off and thought back to what Grendal said before they left.

 

“ _Many things are different, but some are similar._ ” That one thought kept repeating in his mind. What was so different about this slime then all the other slimes he had faced while training? Granted their training was against mana creations, bet even they had the attributes of any regular slime. What were they missing? And how was the Slime King different from the one he knew about in the game?

 

“Everyone! Retreat and regroup! There might be something we’re missing!” Olsen called. Matthew looked back for a moment and then raised his sword high as a blue light gathered around the guard, propelling his sword with ground-shaking force to split the Slime again, allowing them to retreat. Once a fair distance away, Jenny was the first to ask what it was that Olsen was thinking.

 

“Do you remember what Grendal said about some things being different? What if the Slime King is one of those instances?” He said, prompting the others to think along the same lines.

 

“Now that I think about it, there is one thing that seemed different about the Slime King here. Something was floating inside of it towards the top, which was connected to its eyes.” Helen said as she looked up to see whether or not the blob was coming. Jenny noticed that Matthew breathing harder, leaning against a crook of roots. She went to him and put a hand on his shoulder, wincing as she reached.

 

“Hey, you alright?” She asked. Matthew rolled his head to face her.

 

“I don’t know. I used some of the crystal power, but it wore me out after just one use.” Helen overheard him, placing a hand on his arm as a pulse of magic flowed through his body. 

 

“You’ve used up a lot of your mana. That could have a lot to do with it. My grandfather told me that the closer you get to running out of mana, the more easily you get winded. And from what I’ve come to understand about the crystal’s power, it is much more potent than mana, so as a result ends up using much more of your body’s energy to use it.”

 

“So if I’m already tired, then it’ll wear me out even faster. But how come that didn’t happen back at the training grounds?” Matthew asked. Olsen interjected.

 

“It was _because_ we were in the training grounds. Remember, those grounds are there to help us. We’re out here in the real world now, with no support other than our own. “Speaking of Mana, I’m running a little low myself. I think I have a few attacks left in me, and maybe one big one, but that’s about it. What about the rest of you?” Olsen asked. Helen took a moment to assess her stores and nodding that she still had an ample supply, as did Jack. However, Jenny noted that she had about half of her mana reserves left.

 

“Then, our current method of attack won’t work. The Slime King simply pulls his body back together. All we’re going to do is wear ourselves out. If my thinking is right, then that thing Helen saw floating inside the Slime King is what’s keeping it together. If we can destroy that, I think we can bring it down.” Answered Olsen.

 

“To our credit, this thing is just a super mutated bacteria,” Helen said when Jack threw his arms out and leaned in.

 

“Yeah! A giant freaking bacteria that has control of vines!” 

 

“It got me too when I wasn't paying attention. It made me think back to when Stumpy had me and nearly crushed me.” Jenny answered, looking through the knapsack for an orange potion that she gave to Matthew.

 

“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again, but we need to focus on the mission,” Olsen said. A crackling branch made them all freeze, carefully pushing aside some of the vines, revealing that the Slime King was quietly rolling through the swap, looking for them.

 

“So what’s the plan?” Matthew whispered after drinking the potion and recovering some of his energy. Helen grabbed a stick, drawing up rude schematics to follow.

 

“We’ll do this: Jenny, Jack, and I will create a diversion by attacking from the front. Matthew and Olsen, you will get behind and above him. When I give the signal, Matthew will jump down first to cut an opening. Olsen will follow closely behind so that he can get into the body of the Slime to deliver the final blow to whatever that thing is. If you can, use your crystal power to make the attack more effective.” 

 

“I need another couple of minutes before we go. I haven’t gotten enough energy back yet.” With a final nod, they waited and split off from one another once Matthew had recovered. Matthew and Olsen crept as quietly as they could through the trees, while the others ran into the path of the Slime King.

 

“What’s this now? Are you going to try and make me talk again?” Slime King asked with a mocking tone. Jack drew his pistol, firing a round between Slime King’s eyes, making its body billow away in a splash.

 

“Tell us now. We can do this the hard way, or the easy way,” Jack smirked, his arms tensing, almost itching to fight. Jenny nocked an arrow, watching Olsen and Matthew as they climbed a tree to get into position. When Matthew and Olsen were ready, Jenny fired a Bomb Arrow that exploded near the Slime King, splattering mud all over him.

 

 Gritting its teeth, the Slime King jumped high into the air prompting Matthew and Olsen to hold onto the tree they stood on to keep their balance. Helen fired a frozen sacred arrow at the Slime King, causing him to shriek as a patch of his body splashed before being frozen. Once Matthew ensured his footing was secure, he scanned over the Slime King to confirm the existence of the cluster Helen had spoken of. When he did see it, he saw that it wasn’t just a ‘command center’; it was the Slime King’s brain! Nerves intertwined throughout the goop of its body, bobbing inside its body. Mana flared around Jack’s fist as he threw a powerful punch, forcing back, below the tree where Olsen and Matthew stood.

 

“NOW!!” Helen shouted, freezing the ground around the Slime King to hold it in place. Matthew leaned forward, pushing himself off with enough to nearly breaking the thick branch he stood on, followed by Olsen doing the same. Matthew drew his Gladius and cut a large opening on the unbroken skin of the monster. Olsen then pulled two shurikens from his stash, pale pink flames erupting around them as he hurled them into the opening, further deepening the cut. Just before diving through the opening, Olsen drew his dagger, plunging into the thick ooze of his body, aiming for the brain. The Slime King’s eyes widened when it felt the increasingly deep cut into its body, realizing what was happening. Quickly, it began closing the wound, catching Olsen in its thick body mere inches from its brain.

 

“I can’t have you doing something like that. Your parents made me have to heal for over 20 years, but now I won’t be so easily taken down.” A long, slick hair from the brain began growing while it moved further into the center of his body. The hair broke through the top of his head and stood straight up with a glowing glob of its body on the end of the hair. Olsen struggled to swim further down to his target. But every time he came close, the brain moved further down inside the Slime King’s body. Matthew tried to cut deeper to get Olsen out but missed as he swam deeper. 

 

When the glob stopped glowing, drops from the Slime’s body fell to the ground, beginning to hop around and attach to The Five’s heads. As Jack, Helen, and Jenny fought off the slime army, Jack noticed the slime squashing its body as though it were getting ready to jump.

 

“Everyone! JUMP!” he shouted. The Slime jumped high into the air and landed with earth-cracking force, the shock of which blew Jack, Helen, and Jenny, back. Matthew was thrown from his perch atop the Slime King, landing on his back in the mud, gasping for air. Jack managed to right himself, and skid to a stop through the mud while shaking his head, trying to stop the ringing in his ears from the shockwave. When the ringing subsided, he noticed that Olsen’s movements were becoming slower, and his face was beginning to turn blue.

 

“JENNY!! Get Olsen some air now!” Jack shouted, running up and punching a hole in the slime. Jenny scrambled to her feet, aqua light engulfing the bow as she nocked and fired two arrows through the hole Jack had made. But even with the use of her mana in tandem with what little control of the Emerald Crystal she could manifest, it wasn’t enough to reach Olsen before the Slime King closed the hole completely. 

 

Olsen’s struggling only sped up his need for breath, and the only way he’d be able to breathe soon enough was to take out that brain. Just as Olsen reached the Slime King’s brain, his vision went black, and he passed out, hanging limp in the thick goop. Matthew finally regained his breath and rolled over when he saw Olsen hanging motionless in the Slime King.

 

“Jack! Can you throw me above this giant booger?” He called, wrenching his body out of the thick mud.

 

“Not with your swords, they make you too heavy,” Jack answered as he punched through a smaller slime beside him and then elbowed another behind him. Matthew undid the buckles holding his swords and let them fall to the ground as he began running. 

 

“JACK!! BOOST ME UP! JENNY! SHOOT HELEN’S STAFF AT ME!”

 

“But what if I…”

 

“JUST DO IT!” Matthew bellowed as Jack threw him into the air. Jenny took Helen’s staff and drew her bow, firing it at Matthew who caught ahold of it. He then held it as though it were a sword, light gathering where the guard would be, and swung down. With no footing, the staff’s momentum pulled him down like lead, plunging into the goop and driving the bottom of the staff through the brain. The Slime King’s eyes became slits as he howled in pain while his body melted into a giant puddle. Jenny ran over to Olsen, wiping away the slime from his face and nose, trying to get him to breathe. She then set her bow down and began pressing on his chest in a rhythm.

 

“Come on, Olsen! I don’t want my first kiss to be like this!” For nearly a minute, Jenny pressed on Olsen’s chest until he abruptly sat up and coughed up small globs of slime. Matthew shook his hands off, yanking the staff out of the Slime’s brain and shaking it off as well. Some of the Slime King’s body gathered into a mouth and began speaking again, this time in a higher pitched voice.

 

“You have only begun to suffer! The Black Mage’s plans are already in motion, and there is no stopping them!”

 

“We’ll be coming for the Black Mage in due time. And he will be stopped.” Jack growled.

 

“Don’t forget that you are the ones who will reap the bloody seeds of battle! The Black Mage will be the supreme ruler!”

 

“What do you mean by ‘Supreme Ruler?’” Helen asked angrily. The eyes of the slime appeared next to the mouth and seemed to smile. 

 

“You’re the smart one, you figure it out,” it said before a vine began wrapping around her leg from under the ground. The slimy mud still clinging to the vine made Helen freeze, panic racing through her mind as she looked down to see what had grabbed her, seeing flashbacks of her assault at the docks in Ohio. All at once, the vine tightened, and a loud crack was heard provoking a shrill scream from her as she was thrown to the ground. Frigid air erupted from Helen’s hand, freezing the Slime King’s remains, which shattered as Jack fired his pistol into it. The vine around her leg fell limp while the goop of his body melted into a puddle of inanimate liquid. Instantly, Helen reached for her leg where a large bruise had formed, groaning in pain while rolling to the side while beginning to heal it. Olsen came over to her, looking over her leg for a moment before pulling her hands away, still coughing up bits of slime.

 

“Why’d you stop me? I need to heal it!” Helen cried.

 

“The bone still needs to be set. Do you even know how to…”

 

“The healing spell can reconnect bones and put them back into place. If I were out of mana, then we’d need to set it.” Olsen nodded, holding up his hands and allowing her to continue. 

 

“If you were out of mana, you’d still be able to use your crystal power for the healing spell.” Jack pointed out, kneeling next to her.

 

“Right now, that’s not possible, at least not for a would like this. I can’t control the crystal to that level of accuracy at the moment.” It was ten minutes before Helen was able to walk, allowing them to journey to Lyth Bay. During the trip, the thought of having made their first kill hung over them. Yes, they had killed something which was a giant ball of slime controlled by bacteria, which Helen tried to point out. However, the victory still felt odd to them since the Slime King had been able to talk and even appeared to feel pain. Until that point, the only creatures they had ever faced were mana creations which were incapable of speech. While they journeyed to Lyth Bay, all five of them used nearby streams to clean the thick mud and goop from their clothes and weapons. 

 

Once they met up with the masters and returned to Herb Town, the ecstasy of the inhabitants allowed them to put their unsure feelings aside and greet them with open arms. Matthew felt unease as he would catch glimpses of Lillianne standing on the edge of the crowds. He thought it had something to do with the dream he had and how uncanny the resemblance to the woman who died was. He could tell she liked him, and he was attracted to her. Matthew wanted to believe that the dream was really just something weird his mind came up with because of all the pressure that had been put on him. That explanation, no matter how many times he tried to convince himself with, just didn’t feel right.

 

“ _It’s just a dream. Probably nothing to worry about_ ,” Matthew thought, his attention going back to the swarm of people all around him.

 

* * *

 

The Mage’s eyes grinned as lowered his crystal ball. He had seen the entire battle against the Slime King and was pleased with the results. Those children were going to be the finest heroes he had ever encountered once fully trained; everything was now in motion. Eleanor walked into his room, sitting down at his feet and leaning against his knees. It had been well over 40 years since she came into the service of the Black Mage, discovering him deep within the caverns of the Sleeping Wood among the abandoned mines of the Sharenian. 

 

Her entire family, who she was the youngest of, had fallen ill and died before she could get back in time with medicine from Mu Lung to cure them. In her grief, she wandered to the very place where the Black Mage had been sealed. She too was falling ill with the same sickness as her family, but the medicine did little to heal her. Seeing her in such a weakened state, whether out of pity or spite, The Mage treated her. In return, she pledged herself to him, latching onto him as though he was her father, or rather, something more. She had been cured by this man who seemed to have power beyond what she could fathom. Questioning whispers filled the air as The Mage stroked Eleanor’s hair.

 

“In fact, yes, I have. I’ve just sent the Grand Skelegons to retrieve Francis’ soul from his fortress of dolls in the Sleeping Wood.” The Mage hissed in his throat approvingly, leaning down and kissing the top of her head at which she turned up to meet his hollow gaze. Whispers of instruction followed as The Mage held up his hand to reveal the images of six people. Two such people Eleanor was familiar with, but the other four she had only heard about. Eleanor smiled and blushed slightly, laying her head down on his knees again. 

 

“Thank you, master, I hope that I can live up to your expectations as a leader.” She whispered. Even though he was the only thing in her life, she was thankful for him, because, without him, she wouldn’t have the power or the vitality she had now.

 

“I know I’ve told you this a thousand times before, but thank you, Master. I owe you my life.” She thought, happily sitting at his feet while watching the sunset from the window of his fortress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For more content featuring Eleanor, go to my other work: Maplestory, The Novel - The Unseen: Chapter 1: Eleanor and Checky.


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